Macron seeks ban on some French protests, president blames 'sedition' by organised ultra-left groups

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Macron condemns ‘seditious acts’ by ‘ultra-left’ and says he will seek to ban some protests – Europe live theguardian.com

President Emmanuel Macron said he will seek to ban some protests in France, telling reporters that last weekend's riots were the work of organised "ultra-left" groups carrying out "seditious acts" aimed at bringing down the Republic. His remarks came days after the interior minister conceded that police had lost control of the streets, and after more than 2,000 arrests following the most violent unrest in years.

Macron acknowledged "shortcomings" in the police response, citing "an element of surprise", and said local authorities are now empowered to adopt local measures such as bans on gatherings ahead of this weekend. The judicial system, he said, is "fully mobilised", and he backed the justice ministry's call for harsh punishments for those involved. Nightly curfews are already in force in Paris and four northern cities.

The framing is notable for what it leaves out. The riots began as a school pupils' protest demanding more teachers, and grew into arson attacks on town halls and storming of state buildings in cities including Limoges, where municipal police ran out of ammunition. A state that concedes it cannot police its own streets now proposes to solve the problem by declaring assembly itself unlawful — with the exception of union marches, the gatherings the government itself negotiates with.

France's intelligence services had estimated 200,000 demonstrators for the original protests and were met with 500,000. The president's answer to a number he did not predict is a category of citizen he proposes to prohibit.