French President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday that France would move to prohibit demonstrations organized by “individuals or groups with no legitimate authority,” blaming far-left activists for riots, looting and unrest that have swept the country.
His comments came as thousands of people marched through Paris, according to The Associated Press, with significantly larger protests expected across France this weekend.
“Last Saturday we had political and seditious acts by ultra-left groups whose aim is to bring down the Republic,” Macron said, according to Reuters, after meeting with intelligence officials.
Businesses in central Paris have begun boarding up storefronts ahead of Saturday’s demonstrations amid fears of renewed violence, Reuters reported. Authorities in Lyon also said protests planned there for Saturday had been prohibited.
Police officers block the street during a protest organized by student collectives and trade unions in Paris, France, on Oct. 22, 2026. (Reuters)
Macron said the government’s approach in the days ahead would be to ban demonstrations requested by “individuals or groups with no legitimate authority.”
When trade unions formally request permission to march, prefects will review those applications under the law, Macron said. However, officials may direct organizers toward alternate routes designed to shield city centers, shops and public buildings.
“The rules are simple, and I think they’re just common sense. The general recommendation is that there should be no demonstrations in the coming days,” he said. “For those who still want to protest, if they are trade unions, prefects will propose alternative routes.”
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Organizers of Thursday’s Paris march said an administrative court overturned a police ban after they appealed it. Police had argued that the restriction was justified by the threat of further street violence, following weekend clashes between masked youths and officers that included looting and vehicle fires.
A fire burns as police officers in riot gear stand guard during civil unrest in Paris, France, the day after a national day of demonstrations against the cost of living and rising fuel prices on Oct. 18, 2026. (Reuters)
The unrest began in September with demonstrations focused on education reform, but the movement has since broadened into major anti-government protests. French officials accuse far-left organizations of driving the escalation.
In southeastern Paris on Thursday, protesters gathered peacefully and chanted as a large police contingent monitored the demonstration, the AP reported.
Riot police officers run across a street during protests in Paris, France, on Oct. 17, 2026. (Bruno Camillo/Reuters)
Thursday’s marches were widely viewed as a lead-in to a much larger demonstration planned for Saturday. Activists from France’s “yellow vest” movement—whose protests over fuel prices rocked the country in 2018 and 2019—are expected to join members of the CGT labor union.
