France braces for another day of mass protests as security on high alert

Several planned marches in major cities in France have been banned by authorities, provoking an uproar by rights groups.

France braces for a second wave of protests after worst riots in years

Paris, France – More than 70,000 police officers and gendarmes are set to be deployed across France as the country braces for a new round of protests against deteriorating school conditions and the rising cost of living.

French authorities have made clear they are determined to prevent Saturday’s demonstrations from descending into the violence that erupted last weekend.

list 1 of 4 Macron to meet student groups: Where are France’s protests heading?

list 2 of 4 France to deploy 70,000 police as country braces for weekend protests

list 3 of 4 Are parents in France and Italy liable for damage caused by student protesters?

list 4 of 4 One person killed in suspected ‘Islamophobic’ shooting near Paris

On October 17, protests that had been largely peaceful were marred by widespread looting, vandalism and clashes, with thousands of businesses damaged or ransacked. More than 2,000 people were taken into police custody, according to official figures.

To prevent a repeat, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said 20 percent more officers would be deployed than during the previous weekend.

The operation will also involve RAID, an elite police unit usually tasked with counterterrorism and other high-risk interventions. Nunez said its officers would not be directly involved in crowd control but would support other police operations.

Authorities have also adopted a highly restrictive approach to demonstrations on Saturday. President Emmanuel Macron said requests to protest from trade unions would be examined by local authorities, while demonstrations organised by other groups would be banned wherever possible.

In several cities, including Montpellier, Rouen and Nice, protests were prohibited in their downtown areas. In Lyon, demonstrations have been banned in the city centre, while in Marseille, a union-organised march has been authorised under strict conditions.

In Paris, a coalition of unions is due to lead a march from Porte d’Italie to Porte de Vincennes, along the Boulevards des Marechaux, between 1pm and 7pm, after the originally negotiated central route between Place de la Bastille and Place de la Nation was banned.

The ban triggered an uproar.

“This security escalation comes at the expense of our freedoms, seriously endangering the right to demonstrate peacefully and raising fears of a further escalation of violence in our country,” said Amnesty International France.

In central Paris, businesses were shuttered and shop windows covered with protective panels, while some retailers hired private security. At least 24 metro stations were closed at the request of the police prefecture. Major cultural institutions, including the Louvre and the Musee d’Orsay, also closed for the day, while Art Basel Paris cancelled its weekend programme.

On Friday, Macron met representatives of the student movement for the first time since the protests began. He promised more teachers and a deep overhaul of Parcoursup, the admission system to access universities. But the meeting failed to defuse tensions, with student representatives calling for further mobilisation until the government presents concrete actions.

The protests began in mid-September, when high school students blockaded their schools over what they described as deteriorating conditions, including dilapidated buildings and teacher shortages, as well as what they see as an unfair system for accessing higher education.

The movement has since become a focal point for wider discontent over the cost of living, inequality and Macron’s presidency .

On October 17, more than half a million people took to the streets, following calls from student organisations and remnants of the Yellow Vest movement.

The unrest comes as France approaches a pivotal presidential election in six months. Macron, who is constitutionally barred from seeking a third consecutive term, will leave office in 2027.

The violence has also put a renewed focus on the far right, whose leading figure, Marine Le Pen, has long campaigned on a promise to restore law and order. Recent polls have placed her as the leading contender for the presidency by a wide margin.

Tensions are also expected in Orleans, where Le Pen’s National Rally is holding its party congress on Saturday, marking the start of its presidential campaign.

Authorities expect between 20,000 and 30,000 people to join a counter-demonstration against the far-right party, prompting a major security operation.

法国当局禁止了多场计划在主要城市举行的游行示威活动，引发了人权组织的强烈抗议。

法国在经历多年来最严重的骚乱后，正准备应对第二波抗议浪潮。

法国巴黎——随着法国准备应对新一轮抗议活动，民众抗议学校条件恶化和生活成本上涨，超过 7 万名警察和宪兵将被部署到法国各地。

法国当局已明确表示，他们决心防止周六的示威活动演变成上周末爆发的暴力事件。

列表 1/4 马克龙将与学生团体会面：法国的抗议活动将走向何方？

列表 2/4：法国将部署 7 万名警察，严阵以待周末抗议活动

问题 3（共 4 个）：法国和意大利的父母是否需要为学生抗议造成的损害承担责任？

列表 4/4：巴黎附近疑似“仇视伊斯兰教”枪击案致一人死亡

10月17日，原本基本和平的抗议活动演变成大规模的抢劫、破坏和冲突，数千家商铺遭到损毁或洗劫。据官方统计，超过2000人被警方拘留。

为防止类似事件再次发生，内政部长洛朗·努涅斯表示，将比上周末多部署 20% 的警力。

此次行动还将包括RAID，这是一支通常负责反恐和其他高风险行动的精锐警察部队。努涅斯表示，RAID的警员不会直接参与人群控制，但会为其他警务行动提供支持。

当局对周六的示威活动也采取了高度限制性措施。总统马克龙表示，工会提出的抗议申请将由地方当局进行审查，而其他团体组织的示威活动将尽可能被禁止。

包括蒙彼利埃、鲁昂和尼斯在内的多个城市禁止在市中心举行抗议活动。里昂禁止在市中心举行示威游行，而马赛则在严格的条件下批准了由工会组织的游行。

在巴黎，由于原先协商好的巴士底广场和民族广场之间的中心路线被禁止，一个工会联盟计划于下午 1 点至 7 点之间，沿着元帅大道，从意大利门游行至文森门。

这项禁令引发了轩然大波。

“这种安全局势的升级是以牺牲我们的自由为代价的，严重危及和平示威的权利，并加剧了人们对我国暴力事件进一步升级的担忧，”国际特赦组织法国分部表示。

在巴黎市中心，商铺纷纷关门歇业，橱窗也用防护板遮盖起来，一些零售商还雇佣了私人保安。至少有24个地铁站应警方要求关闭。包括卢浮宫和奥赛博物馆在内的主要文化机构也当天闭馆，而巴黎巴塞尔艺术展则取消了周末的活动。

周五，马克龙与学生运动代表举行了自抗议活动开始以来的首次会晤。他承诺增加教师人数，并对大学入学考试系统Parcoursup进行彻底改革。但此次会晤未能缓解紧张局势，学生代表呼吁继续动员，直到政府拿出具体行动。

抗议活动始于 9 月中旬，当时高中生封锁了学校，抗议他们所描述的学校条件不断恶化，包括破旧的校舍和教师短缺，以及他们认为不公平的高等教育入学制度。

此后，这场运动成为人们对生活成本、不平等和马克龙总统任期普遍不满的焦点。

10 月 17 日，在学生组织和“黄背心”运动残余势力的号召下，超过 50 万人走上街头。

这场动荡正值法国距离关键的总统选举仅剩六个月之际。马克龙受宪法限制，不得寻求连任第三届，他将于2027年卸任。

暴力事件也使极右翼势力再次成为关注焦点，其领军人物玛丽娜·勒庞长期以来一直以恢复法律和秩序为竞选纲领。近期民调显示，她以较大优势成为总统候选人的领跑者。

预计奥尔良也会出现紧张局势，勒庞的国民集会将于周六在那里举行党代会，标志着其总统竞选活动的开始。

当局预计将有 2 万至 3 万人参加反对极右翼政党的反示威活动，这引发了一场大规模的安全行动。