France Braces for Weekend Protests as Museums and Events Close

France is heading into another tense weekend as the France weekend protests continue, with businesses, museums and cultural events planning to close on Saturday despite new curbs on demonstrations. Authorities in Marseille and Lyon have banned all protests planned for Saturday, while Paris museums and the Art Basel Paris fair are among the venues shutting their doors for the weekend.

President Emmanuel Macron is seeking to restore order a week after nationwide protests turned violent on their fringes, with looting and rioting reported alongside largely peaceful marches. Overnight curfews imposed in parts of Paris and other cities have since passed without major incident, according to Reuters.

FAKTA: France weekend protests at a glance

• All protests planned for Saturday in Marseille and Lyon have been banned by local authorities.
• The Louvre and the Fondation Louis Vuitton will be closed on Saturday, and Art Basel Paris will be shut all weekend.
• France’s main student union, UNEF, has called for rallies on Saturday, and the Yellow Vest movement has filed plans for a march through central Paris.
• The justice minister said there had been 2,700 arrests since Saturday, according to Reuters.
• The interior ministry is due to unveil its security plans later on Friday, and a Moody’s ratings action on France is expected late on Friday.

France weekend protests: Saturday rallies still planned

Despite the bans and closures, Saturday rallies are still planned. France’s main student union, UNEF, has called for rallies on Saturday. The union said its rallies, which grew from high school protests last month against teacher shortages and poor facilities, would go ahead even though Macron was due to meet student representatives later on Friday to discuss their plans.

The Yellow Vest movement, an anti-establishment force that emerged in 2018, has also filed plans this week for a march through central Paris. A travel guide for Paris reported that a Saturday protest was due to start at 2 p.m. at Bastille and finish at Nation, with a curfew in place around Place de la République and Les Halles until Monday.

Macron said on Thursday that protests described as illegitimate would be banned in the coming days. Demonstrations organised by groups such as trade unions would be allowed to proceed but could be diverted along alternative routes, he said.

That approach drew criticism from union leaders. Marylise Leon, general secretary of the CFDT, one of France’s largest trade unions, told broadcaster TF1 that curbing protests would be counterproductive and that it would be better for the government to make concrete proposals to address people’s anger. UNEF said in an emailed statement that Macron was trampling on the freedom to protest, a claim the government has not accepted in its public statements about restoring order.

Bans and closures in Marseille, Lyon and Paris

In Marseille, France’s second-largest city, and Lyon, its third-largest, local authorities have banned all protests planned for Saturday. The Marseille Chamber of Commerce urged businesses to shut on Saturday in case of more unrest.

Cultural venues followed suit. Organisers of Art Basel Paris said the art fair would be shuttered all weekend. The Louvre and the Fondation Louis Vuitton will be closed on Saturday. Other Paris museums, including the Musée d’Orsay, the Musée de l’Orangerie and the Musée National Picasso, were also reported closed for Saturday, with the Fondation Cartier closed for the weekend.

The closures come a week after the Louvre was blockaded by student protesters on 19 October, an incident already covered on this site. This weekend’s closures are precautionary shutdowns announced in advance, rather than blockades.

Orleans braces as National Rally meets

Orleans, in central France, was also bracing for unrest. The National Rally party was scheduled to hold a party meeting there, with thousands expected to hold demonstrations in opposition, according to Reuters.

The interior ministry is due to unveil its security plans later on Friday. Macron is also expected to hold a meeting on defence and security as well as meeting with student groups on Friday.

Why the protests continue

Workers, students and others are protesting budget cuts and calling for higher wages to help people meet high living costs. The government says it understands their concerns but needs to keep spending in check to contain rising borrowing costs.

Soaring energy costs, pressure on household budgets and concerns over deteriorating public services have fuelled unrest among workers and younger voters, but the French government has little spare cash to address those concerns, Reuters reported.

Investor unease added to the pressure on Thursday, when the risk premium on French government debt over German bonds widened to its highest level in 15 years. Credit rating agency Moody’s is expected to announce a ratings action on France late on Friday. Moody’s currently has a negative outlook on France’s Aa3 sovereign rating, meaning the next move is more likely to be a downgrade than an upgrade, according to an earlier Reuters markets report.

What to watch on Friday

Three developments on Friday will shape the weekend: the interior ministry’s security plans, Macron’s meetings on defence and security and with student groups, and Moody’s ratings action. Whether Saturday’s rallies go ahead as planned in Paris, and how the bans in Marseille and Lyon are observed, will determine whether the weekend passes more calmly than last weekend.

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