The essentials
Prefects in several French departments ban city-centre demonstrations for 24 October, with Macron saying only union marches will be tolerated.
Prefects in several French departments have banned demonstrations in city centres for Saturday, 24 October 2026, following a statement by President Emmanuel Macron that only trade union demonstrations would be tolerated on that day.
In the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, the prefect announced bans on gatherings in central Pau and Bayonne. In the Haut-Rhin, demonstrations are banned in the city centre of Mulhouse, and in the Charente, in the city centre of Angoulême.
In the Drôme, bans cover designated zones in Valence, Montélimar and Romans-sur-Isère. The Valence prefecture banned a CNT rally and a Palestine solidarity rally, and a Palestine solidarity rally in Romans-sur-Isère has also been prohibited.
In the Aude, the prefect banned protest gatherings at the Bastide Saint-Louis in Carcassonne and at the A9 tolls in Narbonne. One demonstration has been declared in Carcassonne for the same day.
The available reporting does not state the legal grounds cited for the bans, the boundaries of the designated zones in the Drôme, or how organisers have responded.
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Prefectoral Orders Framed Around Limiting Gatherings to Union Demonstrations
From the national position, President Emmanuel Macron stated that only trade union demonstrations would be tolerated on 24 October. The prefectoral orders reported across several departments are presented in the sources as following from that stance. Under this framing, the bans on city-centre gatherings apply the same principle locally, with union-organised events as the only protests allowed on the day.
Bans Extend Beyond Large Cities to Valence, Angoulême and Carcassonne
At the local level, the restrictions reach a range of departments, including Pau, Bayonne, Mulhouse, Angoulême, the Valence area and Carcassonne. In Valence, the prefecture banned a CNT rally and a Palestine solidarity rally, while a Palestine solidarity rally in Romans-sur-Isère was also prohibited. In Carcassonne, one demonstration has nonetheless been declared for the day.