Authorities in Lyon and Marseille ban all protests Saturday

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Pittsburgh Steelers cancel fan event in Paris due to unrest

A ⁠planned ⁠Pittsburgh Steelers ⁠fan event scheduled ​for Sunday in Paris has been canceled due to the recent ​unrest there.

The Steelers and New Orleans Saints are scheduled to play the NFL’s first regular-season ​game ‌in Paris on Sunday at ⁠Stade de France.

“Following recent events in the Bastille neighborhood, and after careful consideration, we felt it appropriate ​not to move forward with the planned Steelers ​House fan event in Paris,” a ​message posted to X read.

2,700 detained amid riots and looting in France, justice minister says

Justice Minister Gérald ​Darmanin said 2,700 ​people ‌have ⁠been taken into police ‌custody in ⁠connection with riots and looting.

“There have been ​2,700 people taken into police custody since Saturday ​in connection ​with these ​riots and looting,” Darmanin ​said in an interview with French news ⁠channel LCI.

Macron to receive representatives of high school students on Friday

Nighttime curfews imposed in parts of Paris until Monday, police say

Nighttime curfews have been imposed in parts of Paris until Monday morning, police said.

The curfews will be in force between 11pm and 6am, and concern the areas around Place de la République and Les Halles in central Paris -- which were both subject to widespread damage over the weekend.

French TV and radio watchdog Arcom urges ‘accurate and balanced’ coverage of protests

Arcom, the French regulator for broadcast media, has urged the country’s TV and radio stations to ensure “accurate and balanced” coverage of the current protests, saying it had received around a dozen complaints in the past few days.

One of the complaints concerned remarks made by a guest on CNews, a television channel frequently accused of promoting far-right views, who claimed that rioters had been seen carrying automatic guns – an allegation that was rejected by police.

Another complaint related to a commentator on radio station France Info who wrongly claimed that far-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon had “never clearly condemned the October 17 violence”.  

Paris's Louvre, Orsay and Picasso museums closed on Saturday

The Louvre Museum – one of the world’s most visited – and some other Paris museums, like Musée d’Orsay and Picasso, will be closed this Saturday due to the risks to visitors, security staff and artwork amid the protests, the culture ministry said.

Protests banned in Marseille on Saturday

Authorities have banned all protests Saturday in France’s southern city of Marseille, and suspended public transport on that day, to try to prevent a repeat of rioting during fresh demonstrations planned.

The prefecture for the Rhone region covering the city gave the orders “for the obvious reasons of security”. It also expanded a curfew for minors in the city centre, which will also apply to adults for Saturday and Sunday nights.

Heavy police presence around Paris student protest

Paris shop-owners arm themselves ‘in case looters come’

In a Paris gun shop, sales of legal weapons have “gone up 10 times” ahead of this weekend’s protests.

Shop-owners “are arming themselves because they’re very afraid”, Yves Gollet, who owns the shop told AFP, adding he was already sold out of flash-balls, a weapon that fires non-lethal rubber projectiles.

In another Paris gun shop, a customer, who did not wish to be identified, said he had bought pepper spray, “in case looters come into the store” he owns, which sells eyeglasses.

Art Basel Paris says to shut this weekend due to protest risk

Art Basel Paris, the biggest annual art fair in the French capital, said it would shut this weekend, two days early, due to the risk of protests.

In a message to visitors, organisers said that "in light of potential demonstrations across Paris this weekend, and in the interest of safeguarding our visitors, exhibitors, partners, staff, and artworks", the show would finish on Friday evening, instead of Sunday as originally planned.

Several thousands to protest against National Rally congress in Orléans Saturday, ‘radical elements’ expected

Between 20,000 and 30,000 anti-far right activists are expected to protest against the National Rally’s (RN) party congress in Orléans on Saturday.

Regional Prefect Hugues Moutouh said that the demonstration is expected to attract between 2,000 and 3,000 “radical elements”.

In run-up to mass protests and riots, pro-Russian accounts amplified French anger, NGO finds

Research carried out by the Alliance4Europe NGO suggests that pro-Russian networks manipulated information online in an effort to exacerbate anger in France ahead of last weekend's massive protests and subsequent unrest. After analysing more than half a million posts across various social media platforms, the group says it was able to track the campaign back to the start of September. FRANCE 24's Sharon Gaffney speaks with Omri Preiss, Managing Director at the Alliance4Europe.

More than 200 people sent to prison over weekend unrest, justice minister says

French courts have jailed 217 people after convicting them in fast-track trials linked to last weekend's rioting, the justice minister said Thursday, hailing the judiciary's "extremely firm" response.

Speaking outside the Fleury-Merogis prison on the outskirts of Paris, Gerald Darmanin said 2,700 people had been detained since Saturday.

More than 1,000 of them had appeared in court, he said, of whom "217 people have been imprisoned... and this figure is continuing to rise a lot".

Darmanin told reporters that of the 217 sent to jail "half had no criminal record", adding that "in general these are men aged between 18 to 25".

French PM Sébastien Lecornu meets with leaders of political parties amid unrest

French PM Sébastien Lecornu holds a meeting with the leaders of political parties after unrest this weekend across the country. The aim is to prevent potential violence during the next protests, including on Saturday as the "Yellow vests" movement called for a new mobilisation. Details by FRANCE 24's Luke Shrago.

REPLAY: French President vows to prevent violence ahead of protests

French President ​Emmanuel Macron spoke to the press on Thursday after a meeting with security chiefs. He said that "illegitimate" protests would be banned in ​coming ‌days, ⁠while those from ‌organised groups such as unions ⁠would be offered alternative paths ​for the marches ‌to protect businesses.

What is happening in France? Unpacking the recent waves of protests

Laura D. Keesman, an assistant professor of sociology based in Amsterdam, analysed recent French mobilisations and the government's police response. After weekend of unrest and riots, the government acknowledged that the security response had fallen short and promised a stronger approach ahead of a new wave of protests.

City of Paris urges residents to exercise ‘extreme caution’ on Saturday

Paris city hall has issued a statement urging Parisians to exercise “extreme caution” during the protests that are planned in the French capital on Saturday.

An estimated 450 businesses were damaged in Paris in the unrest that broke out over the weekend, and roughly half of them were looted. Cars, bicycles, and rubbish bins were also torched and vandalized.

"Starting Thursday, the city is taking several preventive measures in public spaces, stepping up the deployment of municipal staff over the weekend and urging residents and shopkeepers to take a few simple precautions," the city said.

It recommended bringing rubbish bins, bicycles and outdoor furniture indoors "from midday Saturday".

Ahead of the planned demonstrations, city hall said it had begun "clearing public spaces, as far as possible, of equipment and materials that could be used to cause damage, particularly barriers and movable construction site equipment". Street litter bins are being emptied and glass recycling containers removed, it added.

Trials underway for October 17 vandals and looters

Many of those arrested for looting and vandalism during the October 17 rallies are already being tried. While some say they did not understand that it was theft to pick up goods that lay strewn outside the broken shop windows, others claim to have been accidentally trapped inside the stores they were caught in. FRANCE 24's David Rich tells us more about the court hearings.

Yesterday's key developments:

France is bracing for yet another weekend of protests by high school students and the "Yellow Vest" movement.

Paris police have banned a student protest scheduled for Thursday, citing the organisers' “inability to prevent violence and vandalism”, a police source told AFP.

French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu will on Thursday meet with the mayors of some of the cities that were worst hit by the riots over the weekend, including Paris, Marseille and Lyon.

(FRANCE 24 with Reuters, AP and AFP)