Paris Police Prefecture Bans Tuesday Demonstration Planned by Interfac in the Heart of Paris

The Paris Police Prefecture issued an order on Monday banning the demonstration scheduled for Tuesday by Interfac Île-de-France in the heart of Paris, the collective told AFP, stating that it rejects the alternative route proposed on the outskirts and plans to appeal to the administrative court.

"They say that the route in central Paris is prohibited," Coppélia Moreau, one of its members, denounced to AFP.

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Interfac IDF, which describes itself as the general assembly of students from universities across the Île-de-France region, had registered a march route running from the Panthéon, in the 5th arrondissement, to the headquarters of the Medef employers' federation, in the 7th arrondissement.

A route "incompatible with the security constraints in force" implemented "in an extremely tense social context," the prefecture justified in its order, while emphasizing that the Place du Panthéon is "a major tourist site that attracts very large crowds."

The prefecture proposed an alternative route on the periphery, between Porte de Charenton and Porte de Montreuil.

"We do not accept this route," Coppélia Moreau told AFP, denouncing "a generalized ban on protesting in Paris."

The collective intends to file an appeal before the administrative court, she assured. "We see no reason why the judges would not rule in our favor, as they did on October 22."

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On that day, the administrative court had granted an emergency suspension of the Paris Police Prefecture's order prohibiting a demonstration held that same day by Interfac Île-de-France between Pitié-Salpêtrière and Bastille.

However, failing to receive the court's detailed grounds in time, the police prefect, judging that "security conditions were not met to allow this march," decided instead on a "static" gathering.

With AFP