World

Macron bans unauthorised protests, deploys 70,000 police across France

The French president announces restrictions on demonstrations following violent clashes at rallies over cost of living and student demands.

24 October 2026Tagblick Newsdesk

AI-generatedWritten by an AI system, editorially responsible — how we work

Archive photo: Macron bans unauthorised protests, deploys 70,000 police across France — Archive photoPhoto: Riadismat · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0

President Emmanuel Macron has announced a ban on demonstrations not called by trade unions or organisations with recognised legitimacy in France. Interior Minister Laurent Núñez said that regional prefects will be the ones to authorise protests, with only unions permitted to convene mobilisations. Macron accused far-left groups of attempting to topple the Republic, according to El Mundo.

The new measures follow violent clashes during protests the previous Saturday. During those demonstrations, which brought together more than half a million people protesting the rising cost of living and voicing student demands, groups set fires, stormed public buildings, smashed shop windows and looted stores, clashing with police in the process.

The government has convened a Defence Council chaired by Macron for this Friday to decide on new security measures. In parallel, Macron has met with students ahead of another major protest day that is planned.

For the next day of demonstrations, France will deploy 70,000 police officers with the aim of preventing unrest and looting in cities. The operation includes the closure of museums in Paris over fears of fresh incidents and increased security in major cities across the country.

Authorities have banned demonstrations in most cities, allowing only those following routes proposed by officials and called by unions. The unions, however, have expressed disagreement with these bans, according to El País.

This item was written by an AI system on the basis of the headlines and short teasers of the independently operating newsrooms named below. We disclose this under Art. 50(4), second subparagraph, of Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 (AI Act). Before publication we check origin and verifiability — anything that appears in only one place is not published — as well as language, substance and legally sensitive content. No separate substantive review of each individual item by a natural person takes place; we therefore do not rely on the exemption in Art. 50(4), second subparagraph, of the AI Act. Editorial responsibility for this publication rests with the person named in the imprint (§ 18 Abs. 2 MStV). Please report errors to [email protected] — we will correct or remove the item. Full reports are available from the sources listed.