Authorities in Marseille have prohibited gatherings and demonstrations across the city between 12:00 and 20:00 on Monday, according to Le Monde.fr. The order was issued by the Bouches-du-Rhône police prefecture, which franceinfo reports announced the measure the same day.
The restriction coincides with a visit by Laurent Nuñez, who is expected in Marseille on Monday afternoon, Le Monde.fr reports. The outlet links the ban to a broader wave of social mobilisation, framing its live coverage around the mobilisation of 17 October.
The decision has drawn criticism from local officials. La Provence reports that Benoît Payan, the city's mayor, challenged the prefect over the scale of the security warnings, asking, in the outlet's account, who was being fooled by talk of 30,000 looters.
Separately, BFM carried an account from a public official who described building a barricade to stop a police station in Marseille from being set on fire.
The material available does not specify the legal basis for the ban, how many officers are deployed, or which groups the mobilisation involves. Those details were not confirmed in the reporting reviewed here.
What to watch next: whether the restriction holds through the afternoon and how the minister's visit proceeds under it.
