Summary
And will authorities have enough resources on the ground to respond to every banned demonstration?
He says that local authorities have been empowered to adopt local measures, such as bans on gatherings, and the judicial system is “fully mobilised” to respond to events.
The president backs the justice ministry’s call for seeking harsh punishments for those involved in the riots.
He then makes it very clear what he makes of the riots:
“We witness both political and even seditious acts carried out by organised ultra-left groups aiming to bring down the Republic - acts that these groups themselves openly claim, characterised by extreme, intense violence.”
There have been ugly scenes in Albania’s parliament, where AFP reports lawmakers grappled on the floor in a country which has seen a week of student demonstrations.
Opposition MPs gathered in front of the speaker’s podium, calling for the session to be stopped because of the unrest, while holding pictures showing the face and wounds of a protester allegedly injured by police officers. Water and documents were lobbed towards the speaker, triggering a scuffle.
Opposition leader Sali Berisha said:
Opposition MPs decided today to serve as the voice for the demands of the student protests. This parliament cannot continue; it lacks legitimacy.
Several hundred protesters gathered outside parliament today in a movement which has resolutely distanced themselves from any political party. Both Berisha and prime minister Edi Rama have been accused of corruption by the protest movement.
German chancellor Friedrich Merz said he was not surprised by the arrest back at home, as “Germany is a target of intensive espionage activity” all the time, as he welcomed the news that the authorities uncovered the alleged spy.
“But let us not delude ourselves: the activities of Russian intelligence services in Germany remain at a consistently high level.”
Speaking from Montenegro, where he is taking part in the Berlin process summit, Merz also said “the western Balkans must not become a theatre where major powers vie for influence,” as he repeated his support for further EU enlargement.
Appearing alongside Montenegro’s Milojko Spajić and Austria’s Christian Stocker, Merz also responded to this week’s talks between Ukraine and the US, reiterating that Berlin is “committed to advancing this process,” but with a clear principle that “there will be no lasting peace in Ukraine without Europe.”
“We are doing everything in our power to bring this war to an end as quickly as possible. Any format for dialogue that serves this goal is welcome. But a lasting solution cannot be reached over the heads of the Ukrainians.”
Now, having covered the important stuff first, can we also take a moment to pause and consider what is surely the strangest press conference arrangement by the pool I have seen in years?
We are also receiving news from Germany, where a Ukrainian national has been arrested on suspicion of spying for Russia, local prosecutors in Karlsruhe have announced.
The man, identified in a press statement only as Vadym Y., is suspected of having been “in contact with a Russian intelligence service through an intermediary” for over a year, collecting “relevant military information.”
This is alleged to have included “information about the production of armoured vehicles, ammunition, and explosives, as well as personnel and military facilities at sites securing Nato’s eastern flank.”
The man is due to appear in court tomorrow.
Meanwhile, the Paris prefecture has approved the proposed route of the main Parisian demonstration on Saturday, from Place de la Bastille to Place de la Nation.
But a separate demonstration organised by the students collective Interfac and the so-called “yellow vests,” which wanted to go from Bastille to Place de l’Opera, will be blocked, the local authorities decided, as quoted by Le Monde.
It’s a strong political response from Emmanuel Macron as he seeks to draw a clear line between legitimate demonstrations organised by recognised trade unions and the looser, often spontaneous gatherings called by the “ultra-left” that descend into rioting and street violence – and show the state’s determination to fight back against the latter.
The signal he wants to send is very clear – but in the age of social media, can top-down regulation actually work? And will authorities have enough resources on the ground to respond to every banned demonstration?
Macron declares the government will show “absolute” determination to stop the riots, with a “multi-pronged” approach in response to the events to restore order.
He says that legitimate demonstrations held by trade union groups will be “reviewed in accordance with our laws” and allowed to go ahead in a way ensuring they can go ahead safely, with potential changes to their routes and subject to additional conditions.
But he says any other protests, not organised by trade unions, will “wherever possible” be “prohibited entirely”.
On substance, he says that PM Lecornu will meet with student organisations next week to work on “legitimate requests and grievances”.
He ends by saying that he will hold further meetings with relevant authorities tomorrow.
Macron begins by acknowledging there were some “shortcomings” in response to last weekend’s protests, with “an element of surprise.” He says the government needs to learn from that and apply it to this weekend’s events.
He says that local authorities have been empowered to adopt local measures, such as bans on gatherings, and the judicial system is “fully mobilised” to respond to events.
The president backs the justice ministry’s call for seeking harsh punishments for those involved in the riots.
He then makes it very clear what he makes of the riots:
“We witness both political and even seditious acts carried out by organised ultra-left groups aiming to bring down the Republic - acts that these groups themselves openly claim, characterised by extreme, intense violence.”
France’s Macron is speaking now after this morning’s security council meeting on protests across the country.
I’m listening and will bring you the key lines here.
The international criminal court and its officials have been awarded the prestigious 2026 EU Sakharov human rights prize, the European parliament’s speaker Roberta Metsola just announced.
“The European Union is built on respect for multilateralism and international institutions, and this prize recognises the important work of the court in upholding international law and justice,” Metsola said.
It’s the latest recognition for the ICC as it finds itself under growing pressure from its critics, primarily the US president, Donald Trump, and Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu.
“I also want to use this moment to recognise Tundu Lissu from Tanzania, and Taraneh and Romina Rahimi on behalf of all those persecuted by the Iranian Islamic Regime,” Metsola added.
The award ceremony will take place in December.
Officials have banned “all protests” in France’s third-biggest city of Lyon on Saturday, ahead of nationwide demonstrations that day following rallies last weekend that descended into widespread street violence, AFP reported.
The prefecture for the Rhone region said on Thursday in a statement to media that, “given the events of 17 October, the prefect has decided to ban by decree all protests in the city of Lyon this Saturday, 24 October”.
Lyon, like Paris and other French cities, suffered clashes and looting when masked youths took to city centre streets on the sidelines of mass rallies protesting high inflation.
The mayor of Lyon, Grégory Doucet, has said that his city experienced hours of “chaos” during the riots, with between 150 and 200 shops looted and a tourist office torched. Police arrested some 200 people.
Source: Guardian World
