An inter-union group in the Paris region filed an urgent legal challenge on Tuesday, November 3, seeking clarity over whether authorities will ban the route planned for a November 5 demonstration between Place de la Bastille and Place de la Concorde.
The unions are asking the Paris police prefecture to publish any potential prohibition order in time for them to challenge it effectively. They have set Wednesday at 2 p.m. as the deadline they consider necessary to protect their right of appeal, according to UNEF lawyer Chirinne Ardakani, who spoke to AFP.
The group is also asking the administrative court to suspend any such order. Ardakani said the unions believe a ban may already have been decided, pointing to informal exchanges between police officials and union representatives. The march route was submitted by the inter-union group on October 21, she said.
The unions say they have not been told whether the demonstration would be banned altogether or whether authorities would impose an alternative route. Without that information, Solidaires lawyer Marion Ogier told AFP, organizers cannot adequately prepare or secure the march.
A hearing at the administrative court is scheduled for Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. The dispute comes amid wider tensions over protest routes following violence and looting in several French cities during a mobilization on October 17. Organizers have criticized authorities for imposing routes farther from city centers.
Sources: Le Monde Politique.