France curbs protests: Macron says only union demos allowed

Paris is extending a partial curfew in parts of the city until Monday, while Marseille and Lyon have banned protests altogether this weekend as France braces for another day of demonstrations.

The Louvre, Orsay and Picasso museums in the capital will be closed on Saturday, when further protests are expected.

President Emmanuel Macron said that in areas where protests have not been banned completely, only authorised trade union demonstrations will be permitted on Saturday. "The general recommendation is that there should be no demonstrations. Those who want to continue to demonstrate, when they are trade union organisations, will have alternative routes proposed by the prefects," he said, adding that non-union demonstrations would be banned wherever possible.

Macron accused "far-left groups" of carrying out "political and even seditious acts" that "aim to bring down the Republic". He met intelligence services and ministers on Thursday to prepare for Saturday's national day of protest.

Interior Minister Jean-Didier Berger said police deployments would be increased by 20% compared with last weekend, after the government was accused of being blindsided by the scale of the unrest. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has promised a "massive" deployment of officers, though some officers have told French media they are not trained to handle large crowds.

Arrests and fast-track trials

Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin said on Thursday that 217 people had been jailed over last weekend's disorder after fast-track trials, with the number expected to rise. He said 2,700 people had been arrested across France and more than 1,000 had appeared in court, and that half of those detained had no prior criminal record, according to Le Figaro.

Curfews across the country

Paris police said the curfew covering Place de la République, where protesters gathered last weekend, and the Les Halles shopping area would run from 23:00 local time (21:00 GMT) until 06:00 each morning until Monday. The prefecture said it had been ordered by Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez and Lecornu.

Public transport in Marseille will be suspended on Saturday. The city saw some of the worst violence last weekend, with damage to more than 500 businesses. The prefecture for the Rhône region said a curfew for minors would be extended to the entire population overnight on Saturday 24 October, from 23:00 to 05:00 (21:00 to 03:00 GMT). Similar announcements were made in Nice, Toulon, the centre of Rouen and Grenoble.

Around 550,000 people took part in demonstrations on 17 October against rising fuel prices and the cost of living, following weeks of student protests. The marches were largely peaceful but were marred by violence, looting and destruction. Lyon's tourism office was set on fire, and in Limoges the clock tower and parts of the city hall roof were engulfed in flames before collapsing.

A second suspect, aged 66, was arrested on Thursday after a man in his 30s was detained on suspicion of the attempted murder of police officers who were inside Limoges city hall when the fire started. The gilets jaunes movement was behind many of last weekend's protests, and Paris authorities have banned several of its proposed marches.

Macron is in the final months of his presidency, with elections scheduled for 18 April and 1 May next year.

Source: BBC World.