Yellow vests banned from protesting in front of Notre Dame

PARIS (Patria) – The "yellow vest" movement, which has been protesting against the French government every Saturday for months, will be banned from any gatherings in front of the Notre Dame Cathedral, agencies report.  

French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner believes that gathering at the cathedral's ruins would be a "pure provocation," and warns that yellow vests will gather in several major French cities, "especially in Paris."

Castaner warned that "extremist groups are planning to repeat scenes of violence" committed by masked individuals on the Champs-Elysées in Paris last month during protests against the government. He stressed that Paris must not become the "capital of riots." 

Agencies report that the yellow vests had previously planned a street march in front of Notre Dame this Saturday.

Around 60,000 police officers will be mobilized across France, with about 5,000 in Paris alone, where police will secure the Île de la Cité area where the cathedral is located, which has been closed to everyone except workers and residents since the fire.

We remind you that the fire at Notre Dame Cathedral occurred an hour before President Macron was scheduled to address the nation via a press conference with an official response to the yellow vests' demands.

The purpose of the protests scheduled for Saturday in Paris, Toulouse, Montpellier, and Bordeaux is to express dissatisfaction with the "great debate" process launched by President Macron in January to "listen to what the nation has to say."

The Easter Mass, held annually at Notre Dame, will take place at the Saint-Eustache church in central Paris.