🔴Live: Authorities in Lyon and Marseille ban all protests Saturday

Live: Authorities in Lyon and Marseille ban all protests Saturday Local prefects on Thursday banned all protests in France’s second- and third-largest cities Marseille and Lyon for Saturday in an attempt to prevent a repeat of last weekend’s violence and looting on the margins of demonstrations over the cost of living and education funding. Follow our liveblog for the latest updates. Protests banned in Marseille on Saturday Authorities have banned all protests Saturday in France’s southern city of Marseille, and suspended public transport on that day, to try to prevent a repeat of rioting during fresh demonstrations planned. The prefecture for the Rhone region covering the city gave the orders “for the obvious reasons of security”. It also expanded a curfew for minors in the city centre, which will also apply to adults for Saturday and Sunday nights. Heavy police presence around Paris student protest Paris shop-owners arm themselves ‘in case looters come’ In a Paris gun shop, sales of legal weapons have “gone up 10 times” ahead of this weekend’s protests. Shop-owners “are arming themselves because they’re very afraid”, Yves Gollet, who owns the shop told AFP, adding he was already sold out of flash-balls, a weapon that fires non-lethal rubber projectiles. In another Paris gun shop, a customer, who did not wish to be identified, said he had bought pepper spray, “in case looters come into the store” he owns, which sells eyeglasses. Art Basel Paris says to shut his weekend due to protest risk Art Basel Paris, the biggest annual art fair in the French capital, said Thursday that it would shut this weekend, two days early, due to the risk of protests. In a message to visitors, organisers said that "in light of potential demonstrations across Paris this weekend, and in the interest of safeguarding our visitors, exhibitors, partners, staff, and artworks", the show would finish on Friday evening, instead of Sunday as originally planned. Several thousands to protest against National Rally congress in Orléans Saturday, ‘radical elements’ expected Between 20,000 and 30,000 anti-far right activists are expected to protest against the National Rally’s (RN) party congress in Orléans on Saturday. Regional Prefect Hugues Moutouh said that the demonstration is expected to attract between 2,000 and 3,000 “radical elements”. In run-up to mass protests and riots, pro-Russian accounts amplified French anger, NGO finds Research carried out by the Alliance4Europe NGO suggests that pro-Russian networks manipulated information online in an effort to exacerbate anger in France ahead of last weekend's massive protests and subsequent unrest. After analysing more than half a million posts across various social media platforms, the group says it was able to track the campaign back to the start of September. FRANCE 24's Sharon Gaffney speaks with Omri Preiss, Managing Director at the Alliance4Europe. More than 200 people sent to prison over weekend unrest, justice minister says French courts have jailed 217 people after convicting them in fast-track trials linked to last weekend's rioting, the justice minister said Thursday, hailing the judiciary's "extremely firm" response. Speaking outside the Fleury-Merogis prison on the outskirts of Paris, Gerald Darmanin said 2,700 people had been detained since Saturday. More than 1,000 of them had appeared in court, he said, of whom "217 people have been imprisoned... and this figure is continuing to rise a lot". Darmanin told reporters that of the 217 sent to jail "half had no criminal record", adding that "in general these are men aged between 18 to 25". French PM Sebastien Lecornu meets with leaders of political parties amid unrest French PM Sébastien Lecornu holds a meeting with the leaders of political parties after unrest this weekend across the country. The aim is to prevent potential violence during the next protests, including on Saturday as the "Yellow vests" movement called for a new mobilisation. Details by FRANCE 24's Luke Shrago. REPLAY: French President vows to prevent violence ahead of protests French President Emmanuel Macron spoke to the press on Thursday after a meeting with security chiefs. He said 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. What is happening in France? Unpacking the recent waves of protests Laura D. Keesman, an assistant professor of sociology based in Amsterdam, analysed recent French mobilisations and the government's police response. After weekend of unrest and riots, the government acknowledged that the security response had fallen short and promised a stronger approach ahead of a new wave of protests. City of Paris urges residents to exercise ‘extreme caution’ on Saturday Paris city hall has issued a statement urging Parisians to exercise “extreme caution” during the protests that are planned in the French capital on Saturday. An estimated 450 businesses were damaged in Paris in the unrest that broke out over the weekend, and roughly half of them were looted. Cars, bicycles, and rubbish bins were also torched and vandalized. "Starting Thursday, the city is taking several preventive measures in public spaces, stepping up the deployment of municipal staff over the weekend and urging residents and shopkeepers to take a few simple precautions," the city said. It recommended bringing rubbish bins, bicycles and outdoor furniture indoors "from midday Saturday". Ahead of the planned demonstrations, city hall said it had begun "clearing public spaces, as far as possible, of equipment and materials that could be used to cause damage, particularly barriers and movable construction site equipment". Street litter bins are being emptied and glass recycling containers removed, it added. Trials underway for October 17 vandals and looters Many of those arrested for looting and vandalism during the October 17 rallies are already being tried. While some say they did not understand that it was theft to pick up goods that lay strewn outside the broken shop windows, others claim to have been accidentally trapped inside the stores they were caught in. FRANCE 24's David Rich tells us more about the court hearings. Previously banned student protest takes off in Paris The previously banned student protest has taken off from Pitié Salpêtrière university hospital, in Paris’s 13th arrondissment, on the left bank. Earlier today, an administrative court overruled a police ban against the protest. Court overrules police ban on student protest in Paris A French administrative court has issued an emergency ruling suspending a Paris police order banning a demonstration organised by Interfac Île-de-France, a coalition of students from university general assemblies. The protest had been planned for 2pm today. The judge did not explain their reason for overruling the ban. Justice minister says more than 900 of the 2,500 arrested since weekend being prosecuted Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin said that 174 people of the 2,500 arrested since last weekend have been locked up, and that more than 900 are being prosecuted. Macron convenes defence council ahead of fresh weekend protests French President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday he would convene a meeting of key ministers ahead of weekend demonstrations, after earlier protests descended into some of the country's worst street violence in years. "A defence council meeting will be convened tomorrow (Friday) under my chairmanship, and we will take further decisions," Macron said, adding that only union-organised protests would be authorised during nationwide demonstrations on Saturday. 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. France's main student union, UNEF, has called for rallies on Saturday, while the Yellow Vest movement, the anti-establishment force that emerged in 2018, has filed plans for a march through central Paris. 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. - Protests banned in parts of Paris as Macron swipes at Trump - France Unbowed to demand 'an apology' in meeting with prime minister - Macron meets with French intelligence services at Élysée - Security deployment for Saturday's demonstrations to be 20% higher than October 17 - Lyon bans 'all demonstrations' in France's third-largest city Saturday - Protests banned in Marseille on Saturday 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". Yesterday's key developments: - 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 organisers' “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. (FRANCE 24 with Reuters, AP and AFP) Keywords for this article