Lyon bans all protests on October 24 as Macron allows only union marches

The Rhône prefecture banned all demonstrations in Lyon on Saturday, October 24, following the riots and looting on October 17. French President Emmanuel Macron announced that only marches registered by trade unions would be allowed that day.

The Rhône department prefecture banned all demonstrations in Lyon on Saturday, October 24. The decision cited calls for mobilization and the events of October 17, when violence and looting swept through the city center. A video of a jewelry store in Lyon being looted during the protests is circulating online. A curfew has been in effect in the city center for the third consecutive night.

Macron: “Now is not the time”

President Emmanuel Macron said on October 22, after a meeting with all security services at the Élysée Palace, that only marches registered by trade unions would be allowed on Saturday, while other prefects would ban them “wherever possible.” “Now is not the time; we want calm to return,” he said. A defense council chaired by Macron will meet on Friday and may adopt additional measures.

In Paris, police and gendarmes dispersed participants in an unauthorized demonstration, dragging them along the ground. The capital’s prefecture approved the CGT trade union’s route from Place de la Bastille to Place de la Nation, but banned the student group Interfac and some Yellow Vest protesters from marching to the Opéra. The number of security forces will be increased by 20% on Saturday. They will be supported by troops deployed as part of Operation Sentinel, RAID and GIGN special units, helicopters and armored vehicles.

Protests in France began with demands from students and young people for measures to address the rising cost of living. According to Politico, the draft budget allocates 2.3 million euros to Macron’s office after his presidential term ends in approximately seven months.

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