French authorities ban some student protests after weekend looting and clashes

PARIS (AP) — French authorities in multiple cities banned protests planned across the country on Thursday after a weekend of clashes and widespread looting in France’s most violent unrest in years.

The turmoil in Paris and other French cities has prompted a strong security response from the government. Night curfews have been implemented in some areas of the French capital, as well as in other cities where calm has been restored.

Demonstrations planned Thursday in Paris, Lyon, Lille and Grenoble were banned, a move seen by some as an infringement on French people’s right to protest.

But high school and university student groups say they will continue to mobilize, even though the autumn school break started this week.

The Paris police prefecture said the ban was necessary given the risk of street violence that erupted over the weekend, when groups of masked youth clashed with police forces, looted shops and torched cars.

The ban in Paris will last until 8 p.m. local time and apply to areas including the Elysée presidential palace, both houses of parliament, and the city’s main train stations. Areas in downtown Paris which were severely hit by the looting are also covered.

Authorities are bracing for another big protest day

Thursday’s planned protests were seen as a prelude to Saturday’s big demonstration, when activists from the “ yellow vest ” movement, whose demonstrations over fuel prices shook France in 2018 and 2019, are expected to join.

Some of those protests, including marches in Lyon, will also be banned, local authorities said.

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, who met union representatives on Wednesday, said a “massive” security operation was planned for Saturday to prevent a repeat of the violence by small groups of rioters that had exposed shortcomings in security measures.

Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron held a meeting Thursday morning with intelligence services, Lecornu and ministers to obtain a detailed account of what went wrong on the weekend and review preparations for upcoming protests.

Union representatives said their meeting with Lecornu did not result in concrete proposals. They are now focusing on another big day of action scheduled on Nov. 5, and called on private and public sector employees to join.

From student protests to a broader social movement

The demonstrations first erupted last month in a high school in Creteil, southeast of Paris, over a lack of staff. From there, class strikes, blockades and demonstrations spread to other Paris suburbs and then nationwide, even in smaller towns.

High school students have raised concerns about underfunded schools, dilapidated facilities and staff shortages, particularly in lower-income neighborhoods. Some also called for a reform of the university admissions system, seen by many as complex and unfair.

With the government unable to respond to students’ demands, the school demonstrations and blockades have morphed into larger protests over soaring living costs, just months before next year’s presidential election to choose Macron’s successor.