Many French people are anxiously watching what will happen this Saturday, as calls for renewed demonstrations have been made in Paris and major, large and medium-sized cities across the country.
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With concerns mounting over the days ahead, French authorities have decided to resort to tougher measures to prevent a repeat of the bitter experiences witnessed in Paris, Marseille, Lyon and several other cities during what has been dubbed “Black Saturday.”
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez did not hesitate to say that security forces had “lost control of the situation.” President Emmanuel Macron has also faced criticism for being away from France during a four-day tour of the Gulf region last week, despite the tensions gripping the country.
Since returning from Riyadh, the final stop on his tour, Macron has held one meeting after another in an effort to demonstrate that the situation is “under control.” On Thursday, following an emergency meeting of the Security Council at the Élysée Palace, he made particularly serious statements, accusing “radical left-wing” groups of seeking to “bring down the Republic.” He cited riots, looting, clashes, street confrontations with security forces, and attacks on state institutions and public and private property.
French magazine Marianne went so far as to feature an unprecedented headline on the cover of its latest issue, published Thursday, warning of a “civil war” threatening France. Against the backdrop of the unrest, reminiscent of the Yellow Vest movement of 2018 and 2019, the authorities' “tough medicine” means adopting radical measures, including preventing demonstrations.
Macron said, “The general approach is to prevent demonstrations in the coming days.” He added that requests submitted by people who have no legitimate authority to organize demonstrations would be prohibited by police chiefs. When demonstrations are organized solely by trade unions, he said, police chiefs would “propose alternative routes.”
Protest Bans
City and district authorities, along with police chiefs, did not wait long to translate the presidential statements into administrative decisions.
In Paris, the police authorized a single march organized by the Confédération Générale du Travail (CGT), which is close to the Communist Party, provided that it takes place between Place de la Bastille and Place de la Nation, both in eastern Paris and away from government institutions, the Élysée Palace, the government headquarters, Parliament and the city's luxury shopping avenues.
By contrast, demonstrations requested by Yellow Vest groups and students were banned.
The bans also affected Marseille, Lyon and several other cities, with authorities arguing that the demonstrations “pose a threat to public order.” Curfews also remain in effect every evening until dawn in city centers and sensitive areas. In some cases, the restrictions apply not only to minors but to people in general.
Government spokesperson Maud Bregeon said Friday that “the priority is restoring public order... Without it, there can be no calm and clear discussions” about the demands of student and youth organizations.
In a related development, police in the Loiret department south of Paris, where the city of Orléans is located, banned a mass demonstration planned for Sunday. Dozens of organizations and political parties had called for the protest against the city's hosting of the national congress of the far-right National Rally party led by presidential candidate Marine Le Pen.
The authorities' concern stems from the possibility of clashes between party supporters and demonstrators. As in many other cases, a complaint was filed before the administrative court in Orléans, similar to legal challenges brought against comparable decisions elsewhere.
Notably, police authorized a large demonstration on Saturday while banning one planned for Sunday.
The measures have not gone unchallenged. Demonstration is a constitutionally protected right in France as part of freedom of expression, prompting criticism of the administrative decisions.
CGT Secretary-General Sophie Binet said, “What is happening is extremely serious, because freedom of demonstration is a cornerstone of democracy,” adding that trade unions “do not have a monopoly on the right to demonstrate.”
The hard-left France Unbowed party, led by presidential candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon, issued a statement Friday describing the authorities' decisions as “a dangerous escalation.”
The party said that by banning demonstrations, deciding who has the right to organize them, imposing curfews across regions or cities, and encouraging businesses to hire private security companies, the executive authorities were “step by step crossing the line separating a democratic state from an authoritarian police state.”
The party called for “peaceful demonstrations alongside trade unions and student organizations.”
It is worth noting that the prime minister, as well as both mainstream and far-right parties, accuse Mélenchon's party of “politicizing” demonstrations and “exploiting them for electoral purposes,” an accusation the party strongly denies.
The National Union of French Students issued a statement accusing Macron of “crushing freedom of demonstration in our country and spitting on the values of the Republic that he claims to defend.”
The Judges' Union also filed a complaint against him before the Council of State over what it considers a “discriminatory” approach regarding who is entitled to call for demonstrations.
The Association for the Defense of Constitutional Freedoms took similar action. Its lawyer, Jean-Baptiste Soufron, accused the president of “exceeding his powers.”
On the other side, right-wing parties and their candidates, business associations and other groups are calling for tougher action against those responsible for disorder.
The Heavy Hand of Justice
Banning demonstrations is only one element of a broader effort to restore control. The second involves the judicial treatment of those arrested at the end of last week.
Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin and President Macron called Thursday for a strict approach toward detainees. On Friday, Darmanin said prison sentences had been handed down to 312 detainees, while another 1,144 would appear before the courts.
Darmanin said the judiciary “will continue prosecuting those involved in the most serious acts of violence,” adding that the tough approach “is only beginning.”
However, many lawyers and human rights advocates have condemned the way detainees are being handled, pointing to overcrowded courts and detention centers, the difficulty of processing hundreds of cases within a short period, and the rush to issue harsh sentences, including against people with no previous criminal convictions.
The objections do not appear to have influenced the authorities. Macron said Thursday that what was required was “the utmost firmness,” a position that the justice minister has echoed in his instructions to the courts.
Security, Security
At the end of last week, the Interior Ministry, which is responsible for domestic security, was accused of failing to anticipate the number of demonstrators and of deploying insufficient security forces.
Several meetings were therefore held, including two at the Élysée Palace on Thursday and Friday, as well as others within the relevant ministry, in an effort to prevent a repeat of the shortcomings.
Nuñez said Friday that the security plan calls for at least 70,000 police and gendarmes to be deployed, with specialized elite units added to support them. These units do not normally participate in maintaining street security or confronting demonstrators.
In addition, military units that were previously deployed during the terrorist attacks France experienced in 2015 and 2016 will be brought in. Armored vehicles will also be deployed, while helicopters and drones will be used to monitor gatherings and demonstrations.
The interior minister said he had sought to adopt a security plan characterized by “a very high degree of mobility, flexibility and effectiveness.”
“The measures will cover all groups that pose a threat and will prevent them from carrying out acts of vandalism or mobilizing to commit them, whether looting, attacks on public buildings or, of course, assaults on internal security forces, as frequently happens,” he said.
In his view, these measures must provide “a very rapid response, flexibility in movement and firmness in dealing” with protesters, particularly as, he said, social media contains calls for riots and looting.
Nuñez submitted his resignation to Macron last Sunday and said he “personally bears” responsibility for what happened. Any further failure to manage demonstrations and riots would therefore likely come at a political cost for him.
Paris and other cities have stepped up efforts to protect commercial establishments by reinforcing storefronts and hiring private security companies. Many shop owners have opted to close their businesses to avoid suffering the fate experienced by thousands during “Black Saturday.”
However, relying on the force of law and its enforcement arm alone is not enough to resolve social, educational and everyday problems. As a result, meetings are multiplying at all levels.
In the latest development, Macron met Friday afternoon with representatives of secondary school students, whose movement began a month ago. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu is scheduled to meet them next week.
While trade unions are demanding measures to address rising living costs, declining purchasing power and higher wages, public secondary school students are complaining about shortages of substitute teachers, poor conditions in some schools and the system used to select university majors.
All these demands require funding, while the government is facing significant difficulties in passing an austerity budget for next year.
Source: Agencies
