Paris Bans Protests as Macron Hits Back at Trump Over Riots

Paris (GNP): Police have banned protests in parts of the French capital on Thursday, as France braces for fresh demonstrations just days after some of its worst street unrest in years.

The ban runs from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm local time and covers the Élysée Palace, both houses of parliament, the Louvre Museum and the Champs-Élysées. Rallies are also prohibited at Bastille and République squares and in the Châtelet-Les Halles shopping district, which looters heavily targeted over the weekend.

Planned gatherings by high school pupils and university students were also struck down in Paris and the southeastern city of Lyon. The government has admitted it lost control during the violence and has warned that it will tolerate no further disorder.

That admission follows a weekend when masked youths clashed with police, looted shops and vandalised public buildings. The violence overshadowed Saturday’s nationwide marches, in which more than half a million people protested against the cost of living, and it came after four weeks of student protests that have closed many schools across the country.

The legal response has been swift. Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin said 2,500 people were taken into custody during and after the protests, of whom 174 have been jailed and 917 formally prosecuted. Curfews imposed in several cities have helped calm the situation, though they have disrupted some late-night public transport.

The crisis has also turned into a diplomatic dispute. Speaking to reporters in Doha, President Emmanuel Macron accused leaders in campaign mode of exploiting the unrest, in an apparent swipe at US President Donald Trump. He also implied that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is likewise fighting an election campaign, had made ill-judged comments.

Trump has linked the unrest to migrants and communists while campaigning for his Republican party ahead of the US midterm elections. Several analysts have dismissed the claim that migrants are driving the protests. On Tuesday, Trump also praised far-right leader Marine Le Pen, who shares his ideology.

Le Pen hit back late on Wednesday, calling Macron’s remarks conspiratorial in a post on X. She said the images from last Saturday showed the reality of what France has become after ten years of Macronist rule. Le Pen currently leads the polls for the 2027 presidential election.

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The turmoil has meanwhile unsettled financial markets already nervous about France’s rising debt and deficit. The yield on the country’s benchmark 10-year bond passed five percent on Wednesday as investors demanded a higher return. The rating agency Moody’s is expected to downgrade France’s public debt on Friday.

Pressure on the streets shows no sign of easing. After meeting Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu on Wednesday, Sophie Binet, leader of the hardline General Confederation of Labour (CGT) union, called for a new phase of protests, with strikes early next month.

The Yellow Vest movement, which was behind last weekend’s demonstrations, has announced a march from Bastille Square in Paris on Saturday. It plans follow-up demonstrations nationwide on November 5. Italy and Belgium have also seen similar unrest on a smaller scale, and Italy’s government has ordered 500 troops to Milan to contain street violence there.

Macron said, “There are people who campaign at France’s expense