Paris Police Block Central Route for November 5 Union Rally

On Wednesday, November 4, the Paris Prefecture of Police issued an administrative order altering the planned route for a union rally scheduled for November 5. The action, organized by the Intersyndicale coalition and the CGT union, originally proposed a march from Bastille Square to Place de la Concorde through the city center. This initial route was explicitly prohibited by the new decree. As an alternative, the prefecture authorized a demonstration from 2:00 p. m. to 7:00 p. m. along a path from République Square to Nation Square via Boulevard Voltaire. The decree was revealed to the public during court proceedings at the Paris Administrative Court. Unions had previously filed a complaint against the prefecture for failing to respond to a notification of the demonstration submitted on October 21. A hearing originally scheduled for the morning of November 4 was delayed to 4:30 p. m. due to technical issues and the late arrival of the prefect's representative. It was during this session that the administration's lawyer presented the text of the order, effectively notifying the organizers of the route change less than 24 hours before the event was set to begin. Lawyers representing the unions, including those for the Unef student union, are maintaining their claim to the original route. The Paris Administrative Court is expected to issue a ruling in the coming hours, which will determine whether the ban on the central city trajectory remains in effect or if the march may proceed as initially filed by the labor organizations.