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French left-wing and green parties filed an emergency legal challenge Friday against restrictions on demonstrations as authorities prepared to deploy 70,000 police officers and gendarmes nationwide Saturday amid fears of renewed violence.
The Ecologists, France Unbowed (LFI), the Socialist Party, the Communist Party and several other political groups jointly appealed to France's highest administrative court, the Council of State, challenging President Emmanuel Macron's instructions on protest bans, Le Parisien reported.
The parties contested restrictions on demonstrations organized by groups Macron considers illegitimate, as well as changes to union march routes without individual assessments of security risks.
The legal challenge comes as France braces for another wave of nationwide demonstrations following violence, looting and clashes with police during protests last weekend.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said approximately 70,000 security personnel would be deployed Saturday, including local police, mobile units and specialized forces supported by helicopters, armored vehicles and water cannons. Some officers have also been recalled from leave.
The deployment represents an increase of about 20% from last weekend, when violent unrest erupted on the sidelines of demonstrations initially sparked by high school students demanding better learning conditions.
The movement has since spread across France, fueled by wider public anger over the rising cost of living.
Nunez warned that authorities had identified online calls for looting and attacks on government buildings, including from radical far-left groups, and pledged a firm response to further violence.
Between 400,000 and 500,000 people are expected to demonstrate across France on Saturday, according to a territorial intelligence assessment cited by French media.
Macron held a meeting of his defense council Friday to review security preparations and met representatives of high school students at the Elysee Palace.
The president has also postponed a planned visit to Nigeria and Senegal later this month because of the crisis, according to his aides.
However, student representatives emerged from the meeting calling for continued demonstrations until the government presents concrete proposals to address their demands.
"We are not satisfied," said Nathanael Combary, head of the Renouveau Lyceen student organization, who described Macron as "attentive" during the talks.
The student leader urged demonstrators to "continue to mobilise" and maintain pressure on the government.
Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu is scheduled to meet student organizations Monday for further discussions.
Authorities have introduced sweeping restrictions on demonstrations in several French cities, citing the risk of renewed violence and damage to public property.
In Paris, unions rejected a police proposal to move Saturday's march from the previously agreed Bastille-Nation route to a route between Porte de Vincennes and Porte d'Italie.
Organizers said they would gather at the Bastille as originally planned, arguing that they could not ensure security along the alternative route.
Authorities also authorized aerial surveillance in the capital and banned the placement of furniture or materials on public roads that could be used as weapons or barricades.
An overnight curfew covering Place de la Republique and Les Halles has been extended until Monday morning.
In Limoges, restrictions lasting through Monday include a curfew in designated areas and a ban on gatherings of more than 10 people within a specified perimeter.
Similar measures have been introduced in parts of Lyon, France's third-largest city, as well as Besancon, Clermont-Ferrand and Laval.
In Marseille, the country's second-largest city, authorities permitted a union-organized demonstration as an exception to broader restrictions.
Several museums and cultural venues in Paris and Lyon announced closures for Saturday, including the Louvre, while the Art Basel art fair was cut short.
A Paris Saint-Germain-Lyon football match was also postponed from Sunday to Monday because of demands on police resources.
Security concerns have also intensified in Orleans, where far-right leader Marine Le Pen's National Rally (RN) party is holding its congress this weekend.
Authorities plan to deploy approximately 3,000 police officers and gendarmes in the city as opponents of the party prepare a counter-demonstration.
Between 20,000 and 30,000 people are expected to join the protest against the National Rally, although authorities have restricted the march route to keep demonstrators away from the city center.
The unrest comes about six months before France's presidential election, with a new Toluna Harris Interactive poll for M6 and RTL showing Le Pen receiving 33% to 35% of first-round voting intentions, depending on the scenario.
The protest restrictions have drawn criticism from political parties and human rights organizations, which warn that sweeping bans could undermine the right to peaceful assembly.
Amnesty International denounced what it described as "a slide toward authoritarian practice," warning that the measures were "jeopardising the right to demonstrate peacefully."
Human Rights Watch also expressed concern over reports of children suffering serious injuries from police crowd-control weapons.
"In a country governed by the rule of law, the police have a responsibility both to ensure that protests can take place peacefully and safely and to protect the public from violent disorder," said Eva Cosse, the organization's senior Europe researcher.
Macron, meanwhile, has defended tougher security measures, calling Thursday for "the utmost severity" against "acts of delinquency" and accusing "ultra-left" groups of attempting to "bring down the republic" during last weekend's unrest.
The government has sought to distinguish between the legitimate demands of demonstrators and acts of violence, looting and destruction.
Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin said Friday that 232 people had been incarcerated following last weekend's unrest, while more than 1,000 had been brought before judicial authorities.
Authorities have pledged to continue investigating those responsible for the violence as France prepares for another weekend of large-scale demonstrations.
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