Paris October 31 march route flips again: court suspends police ban, final route awaits overnight Council of State ruling

The Paris Administrative Court ruled in an emergency decision on Friday, October 30, to suspend the Paris police prefecture's ban on the CGT union's march route from Place de la Bastille to Place de la Nation for Saturday, October 31, approving the traditional route departing at 2 p.m. But the prefecture immediately appealed to the Council of State (Conseil d'État), so the final route will only be known after its ruling, expected overnight from Friday to Saturday.

The morning's order suspended by the court

Earlier the same morning, the prefecture had banned the routes planned by the CGT and the Yellow Vests under orders No. 2026-01481 and No. 2026-01484, redirecting both columns to the Maréchaux boulevards between Porte de Bagnolet and Porte de Charenton. The CGT, FO, FSU, Solidaires and student organisations challenged the decision in court, and the emergency judge ruled in favour of the union route. The Yellow Vests' Bastille-to-Concorde route remains banned, as does the 2 p.m. sit-in outside the National Assembly.

Saturday transport: 40 metro stations closed, 110 bike stations out of service

At the prefecture's order, RATP announced that 40 metro stations will be closed on Saturday from 5:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., spreading in stages from the Champs-Élysées and Concorde to République, Bastille, Châtelet-Les Halles and the Left Bank; lines 6 and 12 will also be partially suspended. On the RER, Charles de Gaulle-Étoile station (RER A) stays closed all day with trains passing through without stopping, and Châtelet-Les Halles closes at 8 p.m. Tram lines T3a and T3b are suspended from 11 a.m. on both sides of Porte de Vincennes. Some 110 Vélib' bike stations have been out of service since Friday, with a gradual reopening overnight from Sunday into Monday.

Curfews and station security perimeters

On curfews: a general-public curfew applies in the République and Les Halles areas from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. on the nights of October 31 to November 2, with residents, people who work in the area and emergency services exempt; an unaccompanied-minors curfew runs from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. for three nights, October 30 to November 2, in areas including Étoile, the Champs-Élysées, Élysée, Madeleine, Concorde and Gare Saint-Lazare. Gare du Nord and Gare de Lyon are under security perimeters on Saturday from 8 a.m. to 11:30 p.m., with pat-downs and baggage searches possible.

Police expect 100,000 to 150,000 marchers

The prefecture estimates turnout at between 100,000 and 150,000 participants. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said the risk of urban violence on Saturday evening was "very high", citing the looting on October 17, 18 and 24 and social-media calls for city-centre gatherings under the pretext of Halloween. Police staffing has been raised to 75%, with RAID units, drones and water cannon trucks deployed.

This report is compiled from verified sources and is not a verbatim translation of the originals; the final route depends on the Council of State's ruling.