Paris Nov 7 protests: 14 metro stations to close, protection zones at Gare du Nord and Gare de Lyon

Paris police on Friday (November 6) set out the latest arrangements for Saturday's (November 7) protest day: protection zones will be set up around Gare du Nord and Gare de Lyon, and 14 metro stations will close at the request of police.

Protection zones at two major stations

Under police order No. 2026-01548, protection zones will be in place around Gare du Nord and Gare de Lyon from 8 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. on Saturday, November 7. Inside the zones, gatherings, fireworks, weapons (including replicas) and protective gear are banned, and police may search bags and carry out pat-downs at entry points.

14 metro stations closed

The RATP transit operator has published Saturday's closure list: 14 metro stations will close at the request of the police prefecture, with stations around Concorde and the Champs-Élysées closing from 5:30 a.m. and stations along Boulevard Voltaire from 10 a.m. On the November 5 strike day, 25 Paris metro stations were closed.

March and rally arrangements

The inter-union march has been approved (as previously reported on this site): it sets off at 2 p.m. on Saturday from Place de la République and heads along Boulevard Voltaire to Place de la Nation. The Yellow Vests coordination group has called on supporters to gather at 2 p.m. at Place de la Concorde for its fourth act; the police have banned that gathering, while organisers say they will go ahead anyway.

The U.S. Embassy in France issued a demonstration alert on November 6, noting that protests continue across France and that recent demonstrations have involved violence, property destruction and looting. The U.S. keeps France at Level 2 (exercise increased caution). There is no curfew in Paris; bans on carrying weapons, buying fireworks and carrying fuel run until November 9.

Background

On the November 5 nationwide strike day, the Interior Ministry counted 575,000 protesters across France, while unions put the figure at nearly 1.6 million. In Paris, 25 metro stations closed and the Eiffel Tower was shut all day. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu is due to meet unions and employers at a social conference in Paris on Monday, November 9.

(File photo: a metro entrance at Gare du Nord, Paris.)