A Paris administrative court on Thursday suspended a police order that had banned a demonstration organised by Interfac Île-de-France, a grouping of students from university general assemblies. The march was due to set off at 2pm from the Pitié-Salpétrière hospital towards Bastille, according to RTL. The court's emergency judge announced the suspension at the close of the hearing without detailing the reasoning behind the ruling, an AFP journalist present reported.
Members of Interfac were making their way to the meeting point as the decision came through.
Why it matters
The ruling lands in the middle of a wider confrontation over who has the right to call a street protest in France. RTL reports that President Emmanuel Macron has said gatherings not organised by trade unions should be prohibited, a position that has drawn sharp criticism. The ban on the Interfac march was issued by the Paris police prefecture, and the court's intervention means the student group can proceed despite it.
The case also tests how far executive statements can shape policing on the ground. A prefectural order is an administrative act, and the administrative court is the body that reviews it. Thursday's suspension shows that route remains open to organisers even when a ban is in force.
Student groups to meet the president
RTL reports that Macron will receive student organisations at the Élysée on Friday, the day after the planned mobilisation. The meeting gives the president a direct channel to groups that have been organising outside the union structure he has criticised.
It is not yet clear what the student representatives intend to raise, or whether the meeting will address the ban on non-union demonstrations directly. RTL's live coverage does not specify the time of the meeting or which organisations have been invited.
Curfew extended in the capital
RTL also reports that a curfew in Paris has been extended through Monday. The broadcaster's live coverage does not set out the hours of the restriction or the areas it covers. The extension means the measure will remain in place over the weekend and into the start of next week.
A legal challenge to the president's position
The president's stated intention to block rallies not organised by unions has prompted questions about its constitutional footing. Franceinfo reported criticism that the stance takes the president outside his constitutional role, framing the issue as whether he can decide to prohibit demonstrations that unions have not called.
Courrier international described the bans imposed in several French cities as a "presidential warning." RFI reported that Macron had moved to forbid any gathering not organised by trade unions.
The sequence of events on Thursday illustrates the tension. The Paris police prefecture issued an order against the Interfac march; the group challenged it; and the administrative court suspended the order before the 2pm start. The judge's decision was announced without a detailed explanation, so the full legal reasoning is not yet public.
What to watch
Friday brings two developments: the president's meeting with student organisations, and whether the mobilisation called for 24 October proceeds as planned. The Paris curfew now runs until Monday, and any further prefectural bans are likely to face the same fast-track review that overturned Thursday's order.
