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Paris to close 21 metro stations ahead of protest

Police told AFP they expect 30,000 to 60,000 people in Paris, possibly including 300 to 600 high-risk individuals, as 21 metro stations close today.

france, paris, meanwhile, filles, calvaire, police, protests, anti-government protests

Key facts

  • A total of 21 station closures will affect Paris metro lines today, at the request of the city's prefectural police.
  • Paris is bracing for an afternoon demonstration that police expect will draw tens of thousands, with metro stations set to close before the procession begins.
  • A police source told AFP that between 30,000 and 60,000 people were expected in Paris, including possibly"300 to 600 high-risk individuals.".

A total of 21 station closures will affect Paris metro lines today, at the request of the city's prefectural police.

Paris is bracing for an afternoon demonstration that police expect will draw tens of thousands, with metro stations set to close before the procession begins.

A police source told AFP that between 30,000 and 60,000 people were expected in Paris, including possibly"300 to 600 high-risk individuals.".

Stations along the route of the procession, between Filles du Calvaire and Reuilly-Diderot, will also be closed.

From the France 24 office in Issy-les-Moulineaux, the sound of the helicopters that will monitor this afternoon's demonstration could already be heard.

Helicopters and drones monitoring protests are both a sight and a sound that have become almost commonplace since October 17.

Some demonstrators will be protesting against a new bill in parliament to grant police who use their weapons a presumption of legitimate self-defence.

They say it would make holding security forces accountable even harder in a country where most cases of alleged police brutality rarely reach a criminal court.

The plan is intended to allow families with children to leave the march before the dispersal and to avoid the clashes with police that often occur during dispersals.

Dig deeper

What is the Paris prefectural police?

The Prefecture de Police is the state authority that handles public order in Paris and can order metro closures when it expects a large or tense demonstration.

What are Filles du Calvaire and Reuilly-Diderot?

They are Paris metro stations marking the stretch of the procession route where stations will shut: Filles du Calvaire in the Marais, and Reuilly-Diderot farther east in the 12th arrondissement.

What is the police self-defence bill at the heart of the protest?

It is a parliamentary proposal that would treat an officer's use of a weapon as presumed legitimate self-defence, which critics say would make it harder to hold security forces accountable.

Why does this matter beyond today's station closures?

The march is about how France judges police use of force, in a system where most alleged brutality cases rarely reach a criminal court.

Where is Issy-les-Moulineaux?

It is a suburb just southwest of Paris, outside the procession route, from which police helicopters over the city could already be heard.

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