Macron Limits October 24 Protests to Trade Unions as Security Presence Is Boosted

Overview

• President Emmanuel Macron announced that only demonstrations organized by trade unions will be allowed on Saturday, October 24, with permitted routes designed to keep crowds away from major shopping streets.
• The government ordered a roughly 20% increase in security personnel for the day and will deploy military Sentinelle units, elite police and gendarmerie squads (GIGN, RAID, BRI), helicopters and armoured vehicles.
• Prefects in many cities have issued bans or strict restrictions on gatherings in central districts, and some mayors have adopted preventive steps such as curfews, storefront protections and limits on specific streets like Bordeaux’s Rue Sainte‑Catherine.
• Authorities have arrested large numbers since the disturbances, ministers say hundreds have been detained and between 2,000 and 3,000 shops were looted or damaged, a toll that has raised merchant alarm and weighed on French sovereign borrowing costs.
• The presidency has summoned intelligence services over anticipation failures, administrative courts have at times suspended prefectural bans, and opposition parties warn the restrictions risk narrowing the right to protest while political scrutiny intensifies.