France is preparing for another weekend of protests, and the authorities led by President Emmanuel Macron have introduced numerous restrictions and limitations in an effort to prevent looting and vandalism that accompanied largely peaceful demonstrations last week.
Critics—human rights groups, union representatives, and lawyers—condemn the measures as “repressive,” reports the British Guardian.
Student groups and unions have planned gatherings across the country. The main student union UNEF has called for demonstrations tomorrow, and the Yellow Vests movement has also registered a march through the center of Paris.
Marine Le Pen is organizing a congress of the far-right National Rally party in the central city of Orléans, so protests and up to 30,000 counter-demonstrators are also expected there.
A nighttime curfew has already been imposed in Paris and many other cities. In Marseille and Lyon, the second and third largest cities, all demonstrations have been banned for the weekend.
The city government of Marseille had also initially announced that all public transport would be halted on Saturday, but this extremely unpopular decision was quickly reversed this morning.
In Paris, demonstrators have been told they may only follow a specific route between the Bastille and Nation squares.
Many shops and businesses, as well as tourist sites, are securing themselves and closing for the weekend.
The Marseille business council has advised shops to secure themselves and remain closed.
In Paris, the Louvre Museum will be closed, and the art fair “ArRt Basel Paris” will also close earlier.
In addition to protest bans and restrictions, the government has announced that it will deploy an additional 20 percent of police officers on the streets this weekend.
Macron held a Security Council meeting with leading ministers yesterday, and today he is chairing a meeting of the Defense Council, where additional police measures will be discussed.
This afternoon, the French president is also scheduled to receive protest leaders for talks at the Élysée Palace for the first time.
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