Algeria Now
Rhône Prefecture Bans All Lyon Protests Ahead of Saturday Demonstrations
· Source: Algeria Now
The Prefecture of Rhône announced on Thursday that all protests in Lyon are banned for Saturday 24 October 2026, following a wave of unrest in the city’s centre.
Violence and pillaging erupted on 17 October in Lyon’s hyper‑centre, where between 150 and 200 shops were totally or partially looted and an office of the tourism antenna on Place Bellecour was set alight and destroyed. Approximately 20,000 demonstrators had gathered that day to protest the high cost of living.
A curfew has been imposed over the hyper‑centre for three consecutive nights, and around 200 people – mostly adults – were arrested during the weekend on suspicion of theft, vandalism or concealment. The ban comes after a protest scheduled for Thursday afternoon by the teachers’ union Unef and the New Anticapitalist Party (NPA) was cancelled.
Mayor Grégory Doucet is set to meet Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, alongside the mayors of Paris and Marseille, on Thursday 22 October to discuss the situation and the upcoming ban.