French student groups call for protests to continue after meeting with Macron

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Trump expresses concern about NFL game in Paris amid unrest

US President Donald Trump said the NFL “could have probably postponed” the upcoming game in Paris between the Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints because of the street protests in the city.

The game on Sunday – the first regular-season NFL game in France – is being held at Stade de France in Saint-Denis, just north of the capital.

“I think maybe it’s looking like tomorrow is going to be a bad day in France, so you worry about it,” Trump told reporters. “France is really in trouble.”

Macron promised reform of admissions platform Parcoursup, student groups say

Emmanuel Macron has promised an overhaul of France’s criticised university admissions system Parcoursup, student groups said after meeting with the French leader at the presidential palace.

Parcoursup was introduced in 2018 and has been accused of being opaque and discriminatory.

High school student representatives call for protests to continue after meeting Macron

The high school student organisations that met with President Emmanuel Macron this afternoon are calling for the protests to continue. 

Private-sector unions call for strike on November 5

French protests: President Emmanuel Macron meets student union representatives

For the first time since the beginning of the mobilisation, French President Emmanuel Macron is set to meet student representatives as the government prepares for tomorrow's mobilisation. Luke Shrago has more. 

French authorities tighten restrictions and ban specific protests

France is bracing for another weekend of protests after violence erupted on the sidelines of last week's mobilisations. Paris is extending a partial curfew in parts of the city until Monday, while protests are banned altogether in the cities of Marseille and Lyon. 70,000 security personnel will be deployed on Saturday, and only union demonstrations will be authorised.

Macron meets student organisations at Élysée palace

Representatives of French student organisations have arrived at the Élysée palace for a meeting with President Emmanuel Macron.

This is the first time the French leader meets with the student representatives since the high school protests broke out more than a month ago.

PSG versus Lyon French Ligue 1 game postponed due to Paris protests

Paris Saint-Germain’s home Ligue 1 game against Lyon scheduled for this Sunday has been postponed until Monday, the French league announced, following a request by police amid a wave of violent protests planned in the French capital.

“The LFP takes note of the police decree prohibiting the staging of the game between Paris Saint-Germain and Olympique Lyonnais on Sunday at 8:45pm (1945 GMT)... and has decided to reschedule the match for Monday at 8:30pm,” the French league said in a statement.

Macron postpones trip to Nigeria, Senegal, French presidential source says

France's President Emmanuel Macron has postponed a planned visit to Senegal and Nigeria later this month, a French presidential source said, following riots that erupted on the sidelines of nationwide protests last weekend.

The source, who asked not to be named, did not explicitly refer to the violent protests as a reason but said that the visit was being put off as it concerned a "diplomatic and cooperation agenda", in contrast to Macron's visit to the Gulf this week which focused on securing energy supplies.

🎥 Nunez holds presser on security arrangements ahead of protests

French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez held a press conference on security arrangements ahead of upcoming protests.

Watch the replay below ⬇️

🎥 French authorities ban some student protests after weekend looting and clashes

Dozens of protesters took to the Paris streets on Thursday despite bans on demonstrations ordered in multiple French cities following a weekend of clashes and widespread looting that marked France’s most violent unrest in years.

Watch more below ⬇️

Nunez says 70,000 security forces will be mobilised to keep order

France will deploy some 70,000 security personnel nationwide for new protests this weekend, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said, warning that calls for violence and looting were already circulating on social media.

"We have noted numerous calls from far-left and radical far-left movements," Nunez told a news conference, adding that the deployment would include elite police units, "around 20" armoured vehicles and 15 water cannon vehicles.

Nunez says officials will be 'unyielding towards rioters, looters and those who commit acts of violence'

Nunez says France's local prefects will monitor demonstrations and issue bans or police orders

"Each prefect has taken on the role of the local prosecutor to establish criminal investigation units," said French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said in a presser ahead of planned Saturday protests. "Task forces have been set up in each department to process arrests as quickly as possible and bring the individuals before the courts."

“Numerous arrests were made on October 17," he said. "It is important to note that, thanks to the investigations conducted by the judicial police, nearly 500 people were identified and arrested."

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez speaks to the press ahead of Saturday's planned protests

🎥 French authorities call for videos of looting to identify rioters

To identify rioters across France last weekend, French authorities are calling on people who filmed scenes of looting to assist the investigation by handing the videos in, an unprecedented decision causing debate.

Watch more below ⬇️

🎥 French mayors analyse the political crisis ahead of fresh protests

In the wake of unrest, French mayors Emmanuel Gregoire of Paris and Benoit Payan of Marseille analyse the current political crisis in France and the government's choice to impose curfews in several cities to prevent violence in upcoming protests.

Watch more below  ⬇️

Paris's Louvre and other top museums will shut down on Saturday over concern about protest violence

The Louvre and several other major Paris museums will be closed on Saturday over concerns about potential violence during planned protests, France’s culture ministry said. 

In a statement to The Associated Press, the ministry said the Orsay and Picasso museums were also among those that will close.

Others are taking the same tack. After two days when admission was invite-only, Art Basel Paris opened to the public on Friday — but only for the day, with the threat of unrest prompting organizers on Thursday to cancel the weekend programme. 

Paris’s Grand Palais is hosting 211 international galleries and their exhibitions for Art Basel, considered one of the world’s most prestigious contemporary art fairs. 

Yesterday's key developments:

Lyon and Marseille banned all demonstrations on Saturday ahead of a new round of planned nationwide protests against France's rising cost of living. French President Emmanuel Macron said after meeting with intelligence services that all demonstrations not organised by workers' unions would be banned. 

French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu met with representatives from France's political parties. Manuel Bompard, party coordinator of the left-wing France Unbowed, accused the premier of having wasted their time by refusing to address the demands of the weeks-long student protest movement.

A French administrative court suspended a Paris police order banning a demonstration organised by university students. Hundreds of students took part in the peaceful march. 

(FRANCE 24 with Reuters, AP and AFP)