Macron blames 'seditious' far left as French cities ban protests

Paris — France is bracing for a second weekend of nationwide protests under sweeping new restrictions, with Marseille and Lyon imposing a total ban on demonstrations and Paris extending a partial curfew until Monday. President Emmanuel Macron has blamed what he called seditious far-left groups for riots and looting that France 24 described as the country's most violent unrest in years.

The measures follow disorder on 17 October, when around 550,000 people marched over rising fuel prices, the cost of living and school conditions, according to BBC News. The marches, backed by unions, gilets jaunes and student groups, were largely peaceful but ended in looting and destruction. Lyon's tourism office was set on fire, and in Limoges the clock tower and part of the roof of the city hall collapsed after being engulfed in flames. Marseille reported damage to more than 500 businesses.

After meeting intelligence services and ministers on Thursday, Macron set out the government's position: a general recommendation against all demonstrations, with authorised trade union marches offered alternative routes by prefects and non-union gatherings banned wherever possible. He attacked what he called "political and even seditious acts organised by far-left groups that aim to bring down the Republic". The distinction matters in practice: union marches may still proceed on amended routes, while others are prohibited outright.

The legal net is tightening. Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin said 2,700 people had been arrested across France, more than 1,000 had appeared in court, and 217 had been jailed after fast-track trials, a figure expected to rise. Half of those detained had no prior criminal record, he said. Police deployments will be increased by 20% compared with last weekend, according to Interior Ministry official Jean-Didier Berger, after the government was accused of being blindsided.

Paris police said the curfew in Place de la République and Les Halles will run from 23:00 to 06:00 until Monday morning, ordered by Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez and Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu. The Louvre, Orsay and Picasso museums will close on Saturday. Marseille will suspend public transport that day and extend a curfew to the entire population overnight, with similar measures announced in Nice, Toulon, Rouen and Grenoble.

The unrest lands on a government already weakened and facing elections next year, as Wide World News has reported. The immediate test is Saturday: whether Lecornu's promised "massive" police deployment — some officers have told French media they are not trained for large crowds — holds, and whether further cities are added to the ban list.