France’s Left Rushes to Court as 70,000 Police Brace for Protests
(MENAFN) France’s left-wing and green parties filed an emergency legal challenge Friday against limits on demonstrations, as authorities readied 70,000 police officers and gendarmes for deployment nationwide Saturday, according to media reports.
The Ecologists, France Unbowed (LFI), the Socialist Party, the Communist Party and several other political groups lodged the joint petition with the Council of State, a daily newspaper reported. They are contesting instructions from President Emmanuel Macron on banning demonstrations organized by groups he deems illegitimate, and on rerouting union marches without case-by-case review.
The filing comes as tensions mount over security measures introduced after violence and looting at last weekend’s demonstrations.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said Saturday’s operation will draw on local police and mobile units, backed by helicopters, armored vehicles and water cannons. Some officers have been called back from leave. Nunez said authorities had detected online calls for looting and attacks on public buildings, including from radical far-left groups, and vowed firm action against those responsible for violence.
Up to Half a Million Expected
A territorial intelligence assessment cited by the newspaper projects 400,000 to 500,000 demonstrators.
High school student representatives called for the protests to continue after meeting Macron at the Elysee Palace on Friday. “We are calling for continued mobilization,” said Nathanael Combary, the head of Renouveau Lyceen.
He said the meeting opened a door that protesters needed to push through to win concrete progress. Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu is due to meet student organizations Monday.
In Paris, unions rejected a police proposal to shift Saturday’s march from the agreed Bastille-Nation route to one running between Porte de Vincennes and Porte d’Italie. Organizers said they will assemble at the Bastille as planned, arguing they cannot secure the alternative route.
Authorities have also approved aerial surveillance over Paris and banned leaving furniture or materials on public roads that could serve as weapons or barricades. The overnight curfew around Place de la Republique and Les Halles has been extended until Monday morning.
The Ecologists, France Unbowed (LFI), the Socialist Party, the Communist Party and several other political groups lodged the joint petition with the Council of State, a daily newspaper reported. They are contesting instructions from President Emmanuel Macron on banning demonstrations organized by groups he deems illegitimate, and on rerouting union marches without case-by-case review.
The filing comes as tensions mount over security measures introduced after violence and looting at last weekend’s demonstrations.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said Saturday’s operation will draw on local police and mobile units, backed by helicopters, armored vehicles and water cannons. Some officers have been called back from leave. Nunez said authorities had detected online calls for looting and attacks on public buildings, including from radical far-left groups, and vowed firm action against those responsible for violence.
Up to Half a Million Expected
A territorial intelligence assessment cited by the newspaper projects 400,000 to 500,000 demonstrators.
High school student representatives called for the protests to continue after meeting Macron at the Elysee Palace on Friday. “We are calling for continued mobilization,” said Nathanael Combary, the head of Renouveau Lyceen.
He said the meeting opened a door that protesters needed to push through to win concrete progress. Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu is due to meet student organizations Monday.
In Paris, unions rejected a police proposal to shift Saturday’s march from the agreed Bastille-Nation route to one running between Porte de Vincennes and Porte d’Italie. Organizers said they will assemble at the Bastille as planned, arguing they cannot secure the alternative route.
Authorities have also approved aerial surveillance over Paris and banned leaving furniture or materials on public roads that could serve as weapons or barricades. The overnight curfew around Place de la Republique and Les Halles has been extended until Monday morning.
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