Prefect Hugues Moutouh expects 20,000 to 30,000 people from across France on Saturday, 24 October, including 2,000 to 3,000 radical elements according to his estimate.
Prefect Hugues Moutouh banned all gatherings on Sunday, 25 October, for security reasons, while the congress expects about 10,000 people that day.
Trams stop all day on Saturday, 24 October, and surface parking in the centre is banned from midnight on Friday, 23 October, according to Mayor Serge Grouard.
Nearly 3,000 members of the security forces will be deployed over the weekend, including nearly 2,000 additional CRS and mobile gendarmes.
The Rassemblement national holds its congress in Orléans this weekend, a gathering expected to confirm Jordan Bardella's re-election as party president. Marine Le Pen's presidential campaign is due to be launched officially at a large rally during the congress. According to a local party official, about 5,000 people are expected on Saturday, 24 October, and about 10,000 on Sunday, 25 October. The event takes place against a backdrop of urban violence, with the prefect recalling the looting that hit many cities during the demonstrations of 17 October.
Prefect Hugues Moutouh announced on Thursday, 22 October, that 20,000 to 30,000 people from across France are expected in Orléans on Saturday to protest against the congress. He banned all gatherings on Sunday, citing security. Among the protesters he expects 2,000 to 3,000 'radical elements', and he said organisations identified with the ultra-left intend to block the congress and Le Pen's rally by any means. He described the Interior Ministry's resources as absolutely massive, including nearly 2,000 additional CRS and mobile gendarmes, with an armoured Centaure vehicle and water cannon trucks.
Warning against a repeat of the violence seen in other cities, he said:
“I will not let violent groups hold a peaceful demonstration hostage, attack the police, threaten residents or damage shops and public buildings.”
Serge Grouard, the mayor of Orléans, announced an 'exceptional' preventive arrangement that includes heavy traffic restrictions and the closure of several public services. Tram lines will be halted all day on Saturday, shared bicycles will be removed from the city centre, and museums will close while some shows are cancelled. Surface parking in the centre is banned from midnight on Friday, 23 October. Shops may stay open if café terraces are cleared, but he could order all shops shut if the situation changes. He said he was worried about late Saturday, the night and Sunday.
Presenting the plan, he said:
“My objective is to protect Orléans. It will not be chaos here, and it must not be.”
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said on Wednesday, 21 October, that the security arrangement for Orléans would be extremely substantial, with many mobile units engaged to secure both the congress and the declared demonstrations.
A large march is set for Saturday at 10:30 from the cathedral forecourt against racism, fascism and imperialism. About fifty organisations, mainly left-wing groups, unions and political movements, have called for it. Olivier Faure, first secretary of the Socialist Party, Bally Bagayoko, the LFI mayor of Saint-Denis, and Sophie Binet, general secretary of the CGT, are expected to take part. Faure said the aim is to face up to Marine Le Pen's speech and that the far right could become a refuge for many voters in the presidential election. Bagayoko described the protest as a democratic moment of political expression, and the Ecologists and the French Communist Party will be represented by their spokespeople.
Estimates for the counter-protest shifted during Thursday. Earlier, police sources cited 10,000 to 15,000 people, and another set of security sources gave 20,000 to 25,000. The prefect's figure of 20,000 to 30,000 is the most recent and the one he announced publicly.
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The prefect of Loiret expects 20,000 to 30,000 people from across France to protest in Orléans on Saturday, 24 October, and has banned all gatherings on Sunday. Nearly 3,000 members of the security forces will be deployed for the Rassemblement national congress and the counter-mobilisations.
AI text based on reports by LesEchos.fr, 20minutes, La Libre.be and other publishers. Published .