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French Protests Saturday: Macron to Meet Students as Cities Ban Demonstrations
French protests Saturday against the rising cost of living loom as President Emmanuel Macron was due to meet student organisations in Paris on Friday afternoon, his first such meeting since high school protests began over a month earlier.
By Haut Monde Post
• October 23, 2026
• 2 Min Read
First talks with student groups
Emmanuel Macron had scheduled talks with student organisations in Paris for Friday afternoon. The meeting marks the first time the president has sat down with such groups since the high school protest movement started more than a month ago, as the country prepared for a new round of cost of living protests France-wide on Saturday.
Bans and security mobilisation
Ahead of the French protests Saturday, two cities have barred demonstrations outright, and the president has signalled a broader restriction:
- •Lyon and Marseille banned all demonstrations on Saturday ahead of the planned nationwide protests against France's rising cost of living.
- •After meeting intelligence services, Macron said all demonstrations not organised by workers unions would be banned.
- •Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said Friday that some 70,000 security forces would be mobilised to keep order at protests throughout France on Saturday.
Political parties meet Lecornu
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu met with representatives from France's political parties. Manuel Bompard, coordinator of France Unbowed, accused the premier of having wasted their time by refusing to address the demands of the weeks-long student protest movement.
Court suspends Paris ban
A French administrative court suspended a Paris police order that had banned a demonstration organised by university students. Hundreds of students took part in the peaceful march that followed.
Saturday's demonstrations go ahead in the cities where they remain permitted, with bans in place in Lyon and Marseille and non-union demonstrations barred under Macron's stated position.
