France's Macron tightens curbs on protests, blaming hard left for unrest
Macron said only union-requested demonstrations will be allowed after riots left nearly 2,400 people arrested and about 3,000 businesses damaged, officials said.
- On Thursday, October 22, 2026, President Emmanuel Macron announced that 'illegitimate' protests would be banned, permitting only union-organized demonstrations on Saturday, October 24, to restore order following nationwide riots.
- Nationwide cost-of-living protests on October 17 drew hundreds of thousands but were overshadowed by severe urban unrest; Macron attributed the violence to 'seditious' ultra-left groups attempting to 'bring down the Republic.'
- Authorities arrested at least 2,500 people since the disorder began, while Interior Minister delegate Jean-Didier Berger announced a 20% increase in law enforcement and elite police units for the weekend.
- A Paris administrative court suspended a police ban on a student-led march, while opposition figures Marine Le Pen and Jean-Luc Melenchon traded blame over government authority and police conduct.
- Heightened investor anxiety pushed France's 10-year borrowing costs to 5%, while traders on prediction markets estimate a 23% chance of a state of emergency before January 1, 2027.
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393 Articles
Emmanuel Macron has announced that the French authorities will ban in the following days some of the demonstrations, after the violence and robbery that occurred during the protests against the increase in the cost of life. Restrictions are aimed in particular at the actions called by individuals or groups that the President of France considers to be devoid of legitimacy.
Macron: 'Illegitimate' protests will be banned
Following riots that erupted last weekend, protesters in France are once again taking to the streets. More demonstrations are said to be planned for this weekend, but President Emmanuel Macron is making it clear that "illegitimate" protests will be banned in the coming days.
France's President Emmanuel Macron announced that demonstrations "will be banned in the coming days, while France is trying to keep social unrest under control, after some of the most serious street violence in recent years broke out in the weekend, in the margins of protests about rising the cost of life, according to The Guardian.
France's Macron tightens curbs on protests
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. 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…
France braces for fresh unrest as Macron restricts protests and Paris shopkeepers arm
After riots left nearly 1,000 police officers injured and 3,000 businesses damaged or looted, France prepares a massive security deployment for Saturday's demonstrations; Paris museums will close, curfews remain in place and protest bans face legal challenges
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