Retreats: organizations denounce bans on night gatherings in Paris

Europe 1 with AFP 18:06 p.m., March 28, 2023

Organizations of lawyers, magistrates and human rights defenders denounced Tuesday orders taken "on the sly" by the Paris police prefecture to ban night gatherings against the pension reform. "Since last Friday, demonstrators or simple opponents of the pension reform receive fines for participation in prohibited demonstrations," while the simple participation in an undeclared demonstration is not prohibited, said on Twitter the Union of France Lawyers (SAF), at the origin of a request before the administrative justice with in particular the League of Human Rights and the Union of Magistrates (SM, classified on the left, such as the SAF).

The prefecture of Paris issues orders prohibiting demonstrations which are published at the last minute on the sly and outside the places concerned.
The @Saf_Paris, the @LDH_Fr, @SMagistrature@UnionSolidaires file a summary liberty against the order
To follow this thread https://t.co/isY43caRoK

— The SAF (@syndicatavocats) March 27, 2023

They accuse the prefecture of police of having taken "on the sly", "without anyone being informed", daily orders prohibiting gatherings in a large part of the center of Paris. For example, the one prohibiting "undeclared gatherings" between Monday 17 p.m. and Tuesday 3 a.m. was published at 17:30 p.m. "Why not make known and make clearly legible the decrees if the goal is that people do not demonstrate?" asks the SAF.

'Serious infringement' of freedom to demonstrate

The organizations have filed a summary release (emergency procedure) with the administrative court of Paris targeting the order for the night from Monday to Tuesday, and the "practice" in general, explain the lawyers of the organizations, Marion Ogier and Lionel Crusoe. These decrees, which are a "serious attack" on the freedom to demonstrate, "only serve to scare the demonstrators, to dissuade people who want to make their voices heard from taking part in spontaneous gatherings", they also say, believing that it is rather the "peaceful people" who will give up going to demonstrate so as not to be fined.

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The notion of "undeclared gathering", without mention of "a number of people and even though it would not disturb public order", also poses a problem because it is "vague", they stress, arguing that "it may concern a group of two or three people who go out to smoke a cigarette or go to the cinema". Contacted, the prefecture of police had not reacted in the afternoon.