France tightens protest curbs and boosts police deployment ahead of weekend rallies

France has imposed widespread restrictions and increased police numbers across multiple cities as authorities brace for a weekend of major demonstrations and counter-protests.

The government under President Emmanuel Macron announced a 20 percent increase in police deployment on the streets, aiming to prevent a repeat of looting and destruction that occurred on the edges of peaceful marches the previous week. Nighttime curfews remain active in Paris and several regional hubs, while total protest bans have been enacted for the weekend in Marseille and Lyon, the country's second and third-largest metropolitan areas.

Protests have been organised nationwide by both trade unions and student organisations. The primary French student union, UNEF, called for actions on Saturday, while members of the Yellow Vest movement submitted itineraries for demonstrations through central Paris. French authorities restricted Paris marchers strictly to an authorized path running between Place de la Bastille and Place de la Nation. Further tension is anticipated in the central city of Orleans, where Marine Le Pen is holding a National Rally party congress, with up to 30,000 counter-demonstrators expected to assemble.

Local authorities in Marseille had previously declared a complete suspension of public transit for Saturday, though officials reversed the decision following widespread public backlash. In response to potential unrest, businesses and major cultural institutions are taking precautions. The Marseille business council recommended that retailers board up shopfronts, while in Paris, the Louvre Museum decided to remain closed and the Art Basel Paris fair arranged to conclude operations earlier than scheduled.

Civil liberties advocates, legal professionals, and labor leaders have strongly criticized the heightened security measures, describing them as excessively repressive.

In response to the growing tensions, Macron convened a security council meeting on Thursday with senior cabinet figures, including Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu and Interior Minister Laurent Nunez. The president also scheduled a defence council meeting with law enforcement leaders to review additional security options, alongside plans to meet directly with student protest representatives at the Elysee Palace for initial negotiations.