🔴 Live: France will ban 'illegitimate' protests in coming days, says Macron

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday that "illegitimate" protests would bebanned in the coming days, while those from organised groups such as unions would be offered alternative paths for the marches to protect businesses. The government has said it will put French soldiers in the street after rioting and looting broke out on the fringes of mass peaceful demonstrations over the weekend. Follow our liveblog for the latest updates. France will ban 'illegitimate' protests in coming days, says Macron French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday that "illegitimate" protests would be banned in coming days, while those from organised groups such as unions would be offered alternative paths for the marches to protect businesses. Macron was speaking after meeting with intelligence officials and senior ministers earlier in the day to discuss the crisis. He also said that "seditious" ultra-left groups as well as vandals were behind last Saturday's riots and looting across France. The president will convene a defence council on Friday ahead of fresh weekend protests. France will ban protests not organised by unions in coming days, says Macron France will ban protests that are not organised by unions in the coming days, said French President Emmanuel Macron in an address from the Élysée Palace on Thursday. Seditious ultra-left groups were behind Saturday's riots and planned to "bring down the Republic", the president added. Police arrest second suspect in Limoges town hall fire Police have arrested a 66-year-old man in La Creuse suspected of being involved in the fire that gutted the Limoges town hall Saturday, the public prosecutor's office said. Police on Tuesday arrested a man in his 30s, who has since been charged with the attempted murder of the police officers who were present in the building when it was set on fire. Lyon bans 'all demonstrations' in France's third-largest city Saturday Officials have banned "all demonstrations" in France's third-biggest city of Lyon on Saturday. The prefecture for the Rhone region said on Thursday in a statement to media that, "given the events of October 17, the prefect has decided to ban by decree all demonstrations in the city of Lyon this Saturday, October 24". 'Promises of more economic growth haven't come true': Why are centrist governments facing popular revolts across Europe? Steven Erlanger, the chief diplomatic correspondent in Europe for the New York Times, told FRANCE 24 that mounting economic frustration, generational inequality and declining confidence in established political leadership were all contributing to the growing protest movements taking root across Europe. Watch the full interview by clicking on the player below. Security deployment for Saturday's demonstrations to be 20% higher than October 17 The number of law enforcement officers deployed during the nationwide demonstrations planned for the coming Saturday will be 20 percent higher than October 17, an official from France's Interior Ministry said. “We are at a deployment level that is 20 percent higher than it was last week,” Jean-Didier Berger said on BFMTV news network. He added that the planned security measures would be reinforced by soldiers from the Sentinelle anti-terrorism force, elite police and gendarmerie units such as the RAID, GIGN, and BRI, as well as helicopters and armoured vehicles. Macron meets with French intelligence services at Élysée French President Emmanuel Macron is meeting with France’s intelligence services Thursday as authorities braced for a fresh wave of demonstrations Saturday. Luxury brand Hermès ramped up security after French unrest, CFO says Birkin-maker Hermès has increased security measures at its French stores following protests that included the looting of one of its stores in Marseille, the company's CFO Eric du Halgouet said. "At present, it is too early to assess the impact on our shops’ business and, above all, on tourism," du Halgouet told analysts while presenting the company's third-quarter sales. The Marseille boutique, du Halgouet said, won't re-open "anytime soon". France Unbowed to demand 'an apology' in meeting with prime minister French left-wing party France Unbowed (LFI) will attend Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu's meeting with political leaders Thursday to demand "an apology" and "explanations" as well as "political responses to the mobilisation of the French people", the party's coordinator Manuel Bompard wrote in a letter to the premier. Lecornu will host representatives from France's political parties at Matignon Thursday alongside Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez, Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin and the heads of France's intelligence and law enforcement services. Denouncing the prime minister's "total responsibility" for the chaos that broke out on the fringes of the mass demonstrations that swept France Saturday, the letter – co-signed by Mathilde Panot and Manon Aubry, the heads of the party's parliamentary group and its group in the European parliament respectively – also accuses the government of having “sought to shift the blame by accusing LFI of violence that it has always rejected”. The letter refers in particular to articles published by left-wing investigative journalism site Mediapart, which alleged earlier this week that Lecornu's government had pressured intelligence agencies to blame LFI for the unrest – a claim the government denies. Thailand and Malaysia warn citizens to avoid protest-hit parts of Europe Thailand has advised its citizens to postpone non-essential travel to parts of Europe rocked by protests, while Malaysia also warned its nationals about visiting France. "Those travelling from Thailand to Europe must closely monitor the situation as it is changing rapidly and France remains a concern as the situation is still ongoing," Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phungketkeow told reporters late Wednesday during a trip to Italy. The Malaysian embassy in Paris had on Sunday advised Malaysians in France "to exercise caution and remain vigilant" due to the protests. "While travel to France remains unrestricted, Malaysians are advised to consider postponing non-essential travel until the situation improves," it said in a statement. China warned its citizens travelling to France to take safety precautions, state broadcaster CCTV reported Monday. Protests banned in parts of Paris as Macron swipes at Trump Police banned protests in parts of Paris on Thursday, as France braced for more demonstrations just days after student and other rallies degenerated into some of the worst street unrest in years. Wednesday's announcement came after President Emmanuel Macron took an apparent swipe at his US counterpart Donald Trump for exploiting the riots for political advantage in the US midterm election battle. The Paris ban will last from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm (0600 to 1800 GMT) and apply to key landmarks in the French capital, including the Elysee presidential palace, both houses of parliament, as well as tourist havens such as the Louvre museum and the Champs-Elysees. Welcome to the France 24 liveblog covering protests in France. You can catch up on yesterday's key developments here. France is bracing for yet another weekend of protests by high school students and the "Yellow Vest" movement. Paris police have banned a student protest scheduled for Thursday, citing the organiser’s “inability to prevent violence and vandalism”, a police source told AFP. French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu will on Thursday meet with the mayors of some of the cities that were worst hit by the riots over the weekend, including Paris, Marseille and Lyon.