Macron says protests by groups without legitimate authority will be banned in France

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday, 22 October 2026, that demonstrations requested by individuals or groups without legitimate authority would be banned in the coming days. He spoke after a security meeting at the Élysée Palace.

Macron said the general recommendation was that no demonstrations be held in the coming days. He said trade union requests would be examined in accordance with the law, but alternative routes would be proposed. He said the measures were intended to protect city centres.

Authorities have banned demonstrations on Saturday in Lyon, Nice and Toulon. A Saturday march in Paris starting at Place de la Bastille was authorised. According to The Guardian, the march was barred from heading into the city centre. The Guardian also reported that authorities in Marseille announced a Saturday ban.

On Thursday, a court overturned a ban on a demonstration planned in Paris. A demonstration planned in Grenoble did not go ahead. France's main student union, UNEF, has called for rallies on Saturday. Plans were submitted for a march through central Paris involving the gilets jaunes (yellow vests) movement.

The measures follow violence and looting on the fringes of protests the previous weekend. The reports describe it as France's worst urban unrest in years. Two people were arrested after Limoges town hall was set on fire. Curfews apply in parts of several cities. According to The Guardian, between 200 and 300 shops were ransacked and looted in Lyon. DW reported that hundreds of protesters, police officers and firefighters were injured.

The protests began in September at a school near Paris over education issues. They spread nationwide and widened to include the rising cost of living. The unrest comes months before next year's presidential election, which will choose Macron's successor.

According to The Guardian, Macron said he would chair a defence council meeting on Friday. The reports reviewed by Vocemundi do not describe its outcome.

What is disputed

Arrest figures differ. According to The Guardian, Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin said 2,500 people had been arrested since the previous weekend. DW reported around 2,700 arrests. According to The Guardian, 174 people were remanded in custody. According to DW, courts jailed 217 people in fast-track trials. The time frames of these figures are unclear. The outlets also differ on which Thursday protests were banned or halted.

What each side says

Macron blamed the worst of the violence on "political and seditious acts by ultra far-left groups who aimed to bring down the republic", according to The Guardian. He also said: "The priority is a return to calm." Student and university groups and unions said they would continue to mobilise, according to DW. The reports do not include responses from the groups Macron blamed.

Analysis

The bans raise questions about the balance between public order and the right to protest. The reports do not describe how authorities will decide which groups lack "legitimate authority", or the legal basis for the bans. A court has already overturned one ban in Paris. If Saturday passes calmly, the government may cite the measures as effective. If bans are challenged in court or defied, tensions could grow. Planned talks with unions and student groups could offer a route to de-escalation. With a presidential election next year, the handling of the unrest may also shape political debate.

Produced by the Vocemundi newsroom with AI assistance.