French authorities have imposed restrictions on demonstrations in several cities following a weekend of violent clashes and widespread looting, but dozens of protesters took to the streets of Paris on Thursday despite the restrictions.
Organisers of the Paris protest said an administrative court overturned a police ban, though the ruling was not immediately made public.
Police had justified the restriction by citing the risk of further violence after masked youths clashed with security forces, looted shops and set cars on fire over the weekend.
French President Emmanuel Macron said the measures were intended to protect city centres, businesses and public buildings. He said demonstrations requested by groups without legitimate authority should be banned, while trade unions seeking permission to protest would be offered alternative routes.
The restrictions on planned demonstrations in Paris, Lyon, Lille and Grenoble have raised concerns among some about the constitutional right to protest. Student organisations said they would continue their mobilisation despite the start of the autumn school break.
Macron blamed the weekend violence on radical far-left groups seeking to undermine the Republic, as well as criminals who took advantage of the unrest to loot shops.
The government has stepped up security measures, including night-time curfews in some areas of Paris and other cities where order has since been restored. The Paris restrictions covered areas around the presidential palace, parliament buildings, major railway stations and parts of the city centre badly affected by looting.
Thursday’s demonstrations were seen as a prelude to a larger protest planned for Saturday, when activists from the Yellow Vest movement and the CGT labour union are expected to join. Authorities said some demonstrations, including marches in Lyon, would also be prohibited.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, who met union representatives on Wednesday, said a large-scale security operation was planned for Saturday to prevent a recurrence of the violence.
Union representatives said the meeting produced no concrete proposals. They are now preparing for another day of action on November 5 and have urged public- and private-sector employees to participate.
The protests began last month at a high school in Créteil, southeast of Paris, over staff shortages before spreading to other suburbs and cities across France.
Students have raised concerns over underfunded schools, deteriorating facilities and a lack of staff, particularly in poorer neighbourhoods. Some have also called for reforms to the university admissions system, which they consider complex and unfair.
With the government struggling to address the students’ demands, the demonstrations have expanded into a broader movement over rising living costs, months before next year’s presidential election to choose Macron’s successor.
