Follow-Up: Macron Says 'Illegitimate' Protests Will Be Banned; All Saturday Marches in Lyon Prohibited as Paris Shops Board Up

PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday that 'illegitimate' protests would be banned in the coming days and blamed 'seditious' ultra-left groups and vandals for last weekend's riots and looting, according to Reuters.

Speaking after a meeting with intelligence chiefs and senior ministers, Macron said demonstrations organised by groups such as trade unions would be allowed to go ahead but could be diverted along alternative routes to protect businesses. 'Last Saturday we had political and seditious acts by ultra-left groups whose aim is to bring down the Republic,' he said.

Local authorities in Lyon, France's second-largest city, have banned all protests planned there for Saturday. France's main student union, UNEF, has called for rallies on Saturday, while the Yellow Vest movement, the anti-establishment force that emerged in 2018, has filed plans for a march through central Paris. A student protest called for Thursday in Paris was banned, though metro stations in central Paris were nonetheless shuttered by transit authorities in anticipation of unauthorised gatherings.

Businesses in central Paris have begun boarding up their shop windows in case of violence, and luxury group Hermes said it had stepped up security measures at its French stores. Authorities in the northern city of Orleans were also bracing for potential unrest, as the far-right National Rally was due to hold an annual meeting there and unions and left-wing groups planned demonstrations.

France was rocked on October 17 by some of its worst urban unrest in years, exposing deep public anger over soaring energy costs, pressure on household budgets and concerns over deteriorating public services. A third consecutive night of local curfews passed without major incidents, offering the government some respite ahead of the weekend. French officials and media said two people have been arrested over an arson attack on Limoges city hall. In markets, yields on France's 10-year government bonds rose above those on equivalent U.S. Treasuries on Thursday for the first time since 2013, highlighting investor unease.

Related: Follow-Up: France Imposes Local Curfews for a Second Night Ahead of Saturday Protests

Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)

Photo: 法国总统马克龙2025年3月在布鲁塞尔出席欧洲理事会特别会议（欧盟委员会供图，© European Union，注明来源可再使用，经 Wikimedia Commons）。 / French President Emmanuel Macron at the Special European Council in Brussels, March 2025 (European Commission, © European Union, reuse permitted with attribution, via Wikimedia Commons).

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