Thousands gather in Paris after a court lifts a protest ban despite
fears of new violence
[October 23, 2026]
By SAMUEL PETREQUIN and SYLVIE CORBET
PARIS (AP) — Thousands of protesters took to the Paris streets on
Thursday while other cities banned demonstrations following a weekend of
clashes and widespread looting that marked France’s most violent unrest
in years.
Organizers of the Paris protest said an administrative court overturned
a ban issued by police after they challenged it. The Paris prefecture
previously said the ban was necessary, given the risk of street violence
after groups of masked youth clashed with officers, looted shops and
torched cars over the weekend.
The Paris court ruling was not immediately made public. Protesters,
including many youngsters, gathered peacefully and chanted in a
southeastern part of the city amid heavy police presence.
“We don’t need tear gas for our future to look bleak,” read a banner
they unfurled.
Organizers signed a police document stating that the protest would
remain stationary due to the risk of violence.
More bans were expected in the coming days. French President Emmanuel
Macron said such measures aim to protect city centers, businesses and
public buildings.
The right to demonstrate is protected by the French Constitution, and
bans on demonstrations planned for Thursday in Paris, Lyon, Lille and
Grenoble were seen by some as an infringement on French people’s right
to protest.
High school and university student groups said they will continue to
mobilize, even though the autumn school break started this week.
Macron said after a special security meeting at the Elysée Palace that
the strategy adopted for the coming days is to ban protests requested by
“individuals or groups with no legitimate authority.”
“The rules are simple, and I think they’re just common sense. The
general recommendation is that there should be no demonstrations in the
coming days," he said. “For those who still want to protest, if they are
trade unions, prefects will propose alternative routes."
Macron blamed the weekend's violence on “actions led by radical far-left
groups who aimed to bring the Republic down," in addition to criminals
who came to loot.
The turmoil in Paris and other French cities has prompted a strong
security response. Night curfews have been implemented in some areas of
the French capital, as well as in other cities where calm has been
restored.
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View of charred objects from a newsstand after the weekend protests
over the cost of living turned into rioting and looting across
France, in Paris, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Teresa Suarez)
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 CGT labor union and 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, Marseille and
Montpellier, will also be banned, local authorities said. Cities
outside Paris have been hit hard by the unrest, including Limoges
where a fire nearly destroyed the 19th century city hall.
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.
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 seemingly 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.
___
Nicolas Garriga and Boubkar Benzabat in Paris contributed to this
report.
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