French shopkeepers told to strengthen security ahead of weekend protests

Authorities are gearing up for another weekend of major protests across France as calls for demonstrations on October 24 continue to grow. 

Numerous groups have called for people to take to the streets on Saturday, including the gilets jaunes movement and university students/high school pupils.

However, most organisers have distanced themselves from the violence and looting that took place last Saturday.

Unions including the CGT have called for peaceful demonstrations, although some local gilets jaunes organisers have publicly supported the violence and looting.

French President Emmanuel Macron announced that a ban on demonstrations and protests would extend across the weekend, with exceptions only for official protests organised by unions.

These approved demonstrations, however, will be given alternative routes to avoid a repeat of looting or violence. Some authorities, including in Lyon, have banned all demonstrations in their boundaries on Saturday.

The government also announced a ‘massive’ security operation for the upcoming Saturday, which will include the deployment of soldiers through ‘Opération Sentinelle’ and calling off-duty riot police (CRS) to work on that day.

Authorities have admitted failure over last weekend’s protests, saying they lost control of the situation. 

At the same time, authorities have also advised shopkeepers in Paris to prepare themselves for Saturday. The Paris police prefect Patrice Faure recommended shopkeepers “strengthen their security [and] adjust their operating hours,” as well as “hire private security personnel,” in a letter seen by public service broadcaster FranceInfo.

Shopkeepers in Paris have begun arming themselves, with sales of self-defence spray and devices that fire short bursts of gas at intruders increasing tenfold since October 17 according to Yves Gollety, who runs the oldest gun shop in Paris.

Others have purchased tasers and batons, and a bahn mi shop owner in Paris told FranceInfo she planned to join a shooting club to be able to carry a firearm [editor’s note: this does not authorise someone to carry a weapon on themselves] all in a bid to defend their shops. 

Turnout remains unknown

Local authorities have already banned gatherings and demonstrations in major cities including Paris, Lyon, and Marseille this week, as well as implementing curfews.

On Thursday, the Rhône prefecture announced it was banning "all demonstrations" in Lyon on Saturday. The move comes following widespread disturbances in the city last weekend which saw a tourist office set on fire. 

"In light of the call for mobilisation circulating and the events of October 17, the prefect has decided to prohibit, by decree, all demonstrations in the city of Lyon this Saturday, October 24," the prefecture wrote, according to a report in FranceInfo. 

The announcement follows a complaint filed by the Union nationale des étudiants de France against the city’s current ban on demonstrations. The group will go ahead with a march at 14:00 in the city today, despite the ban.

Expected turnout for demonstrations on October 24 is hard to assess for a number of reasons. 

Unlike demonstrations or protests organised by a political party or union, the gilets jaunes movement remains largely decentralised, with no single authority coordinating action.

Several online resources listing the time and date of expected protests are available, some with conflicting information, and none of which are ‘official’.

The most popular is a participatory map where anyone can announce action they are planning to take, available here.

As of Thursday morning, it lists more than 500 demonstrations, blockades, and disruptions taking place across France. This includes both major cities and rural areas. However, many of these are now illegal following Mr Macron's announcement.

Another factor making it difficult to assess the turnout for the upcoming protests is the mix of public opinion on last weekend’s demonstrations.

The violence and looting was widely condemned by most groups, including those who backed the demonstrations (unions, political parties, student groups, etc) as well as those who did not take part. 

However, many union leaders and members of the public have highlighted that the base issues leading to the demonstrations – a high cost of living, increased fuel prices, wage stagnation, and the lycée pupil anger – remain. 

In turn, they have continued to call for demonstrations at the weekend – albeit urging more peaceful action – and have not backed away from the movement due to last weekend’s violence. 

Finally, the CGT union, France’s second-largest, officially called for a ‘general mobilisation’ of all workers on November 5, including the public and private sectors, following a meeting with government officials yesterday. 

The day was already slated for demonstrations and protests in several sectors, but the CGT has laid down the gauntlet and other unions are expected to follow.

While the gilets jaunes movement remains decentralised, there are certain prominent figures attempting to organise the various groups, including Benjamin Ball, who created the map linked above. 

Mr Ball, who was also an influential figure in last year’s ‘Bloquons tout’ demonstrations, has called on anyone who is joining marches on October 24 to also join the protests on November 5. 

There is a possibility that some people who want to protest but are scared of the violence and looting of last weekend will wait until November 5 to join official demonstrations organised by a union, which are generally more structured and less prone to violence.