Macron calls for halt to demonstrations in coming days

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday that the government recommends that no demonstrations be held across the country in the coming days, particularly on Saturday.

Speaking after a security council meeting, Macron said the government intended to prohibit requests to organize gatherings by people "who have no legitimacy to do so." For trade union marches formally notified to local authorities, alternative routes would be proposed to protect city centers, he added.

The prefecture of the Rhone department has banned all demonstrations in Lyon for Saturday, French television channel BFM TV reported.

In Toulon, a city in southern France, authorities have banned demonstrations in the city center from 11 a.m. (1000 GMT) to 11:59 p.m. (2259 GMT) on Saturday. A temporary curfew for unaccompanied minors will also be in force in the city center from 6 p.m. (1700 GMT) on Saturday to 6 a.m. (0400 GMT) on Sunday, according to BFM TV.

In Nice, southeastern France, the prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes department has banned all gatherings, marches and protest demonstrations in the city center from 8 a.m. (0600 GMT) to midnight (2200 GMT) on Saturday, citing risks to public order and violence.

In Paris, a demonstration scheduled for Saturday between Place de la Bastille and Place de la Nation, organized notably at the initiative of the General Confederation of Labour (CGT), will be allowed to proceed, the Paris police prefecture said on Thursday.

French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said on Tuesday that the government would deploy soldiers from the French army's Operation Sentinelle to help prevent violence during the demonstrations announced for October 24.