protests | France: Police crack down on protests

The protests continue in France. Photo: AFP/FRANCOIS LO PRESTI A week after intense protests in France, which also led to serious riots, thousands of people took to the streets again on Saturday. By early afternoon, police had temporarily arrested 135 people. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said on Saturday that there had been no major incidents up to that point. 70,000 security forces are deployed across the country to prevent further looting. At the same time, the authorities restricted freedom of assembly in numerous cities. In Orléans, the protest is also directed against the party conference of the right-wing radical Rassemblement National (RN).

According to the Interior Minister, most of the arrests occurred during checks during which items that could be used as weapons were seized. These included metal balls, slingshots, fireworks and an airsoft gun. There were more than 1,000 checks in the Paris region alone. Before the larger demonstrations began in the afternoon, 35,000 people were counted in public spaces. At the same time last Saturday there were still 60,000.

In Lyon, police used tear gas against around 150 people who tried to block a street despite a ban. Demonstrations are largely prohibited in the city center. According to the prefecture, all gatherings are banned in Nice. Police forces, gendarmes and special units were deployed in the city center.

The right to demonstrate is also severely restricted in Paris. The authorities only approved a protest march, the route of which they changed from the unions' original plans. The train registered by the CGT union was actually supposed to run between the Place de la Bastille and the Place de la Nation. The move to the outskirts of the city was met with outrage from organizers. However, the administrative court confirmed the route set by the prefecture in an emergency decision.

In Marseille, the authorities exceptionally allowed a union rally after initially comprehensive bans. A trade union demonstration should also take place in Strasbourg. Gatherings were banned in other cities, including Nancy, Metz, Besançon, Rouen and Toulon. In several large cities, nighttime curfews also apply to particularly vulnerable areas.

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez had announced that rallies would only be permitted under strict conditions. This includes that the organizers provide security and that the meetings do not take place in particularly endangered areas. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said on Friday evening that the threat situation remained high.

The measures have met with strong criticism. Amnesty International warned of a development towards authoritarian practices. The Council of Europe's Commissioner for Human Rights also called on the French authorities to respect the right to demonstrate. The restrictions hit a protest movement that has been directed for weeks against grievances in the education system and rising living costs. Another reason for the intensification of the protests were reports of enormous police violence against the initial student protests. There are also increasing reports of cases in which suspected police officers disguised as demonstrators are said to have fueled the spiral of violence on the streets by throwing objects at police officers in protective gear. However, this cannot yet be independently verified at this point.

Particular attention is paid to the city of Orléans, where the RN party conference is taking place this weekend. According to the prefecture, around 11,000 people gathered there for a counter-demonstration by midday. The organizers spoke of 26,000 participants. Around 50 parties, unions and associations called for the protest under the motto against racism, fascism and imperialism.

The demonstrators were directed against both the right-wing populists and President Emmanuel Macron. On banners and in chants, they called for, among other things, Macron's resignation and the criminal prosecution of Marine Le Pen. The protests are also marked by a fatal shooting attack in the greater Paris area on Friday, which Macron described as a racist terrorist attack.

Meanwhile, Jordan Bardella was confirmed as party leader with 99 percent of the vote. In his speech, he called on the party for "unity," saying this would lead the party to "victory" and was necessary "to bring Marine Le Pen to the Elysée Palace." The RN parliamentary group leader and former party leader Le Pen will run in the presidential elections in spring 2027 and is currently clearly in first place in the polls in the first round of voting.

After last weekend's riots, Le Pen announced that he would take tough action if he won the election. The violence could thus benefit the right-wing populists politically by giving impetus to their demands for stricter security policy.

The protests, which have been going on for weeks, were initially triggered by demands from students for better equipment in schools. They were joined by other groups demonstrating against high costs of living and social injustices.

On Friday, Macron received around 20 representatives of student organizations at the Élysée Palace. According to the student representatives, at the almost three-hour meeting he held out the prospect of a reform of school democracy and a fundamental overhaul of the Parcoursup university placement platform. Students apply for study places via this platform.

The reactions were cautious. The student representative Nathanaël Combary welcomed the fact that Macron had listened to the concerns of the young people, but at the same time called for the mobilization to continue. The students are not satisfied with the promises made so far and are expecting another conversation with Prime Minister Lecornu, who wants to receive representatives of the student organizations on Monday. With agencies.

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