Thousands gather in Paris after a court lifts a protest ban despite fears of new violence

PARIS (AP) — Thousands of protesters took to the Paris streets on Thursday while other cities banned demonstrations following a weekend of clashes and widespread looting that marked France’s most violent unrest in years.

Organizers of the Paris protest said an administrative court overturned a ban issued by police after they challenged it. The Paris prefecture previously said the ban was necessary, given the risk of street violence after groups of masked youth clashed with officers, looted shops and torched cars over the weekend.

The Paris court ruling was not immediately made public. Protesters, including many youngsters, gathered peacefully and chanted in a southeastern part of the city amid heavy police presence.

“We don’t need tear gas for our future to look bleak,” read a banner they unfurled.

Organizers signed a police document stating that the protest would remain stationary due to the risk of violence.

More bans were expected in the coming days. French President Emmanuel Macron said such measures aim to protect city centers, businesses and public buildings.

The right to demonstrate is protected by the French Constitution, and bans on demonstrations planned for Thursday in Paris, Lyon, Lille and Grenoble were seen by some as an infringement on French people’s right to protest.

High school and university student groups said they will continue to mobilize, even though the autumn school break started this week.

Macron said after a special security meeting at the Elysée Palace that the strategy adopted for the coming days is to ban protests requested by “individuals or groups with no legitimate authority.”

“The rules are simple, and I think they’re just common sense. The general recommendation is that there should be no demonstrations in the coming days," he said. “For those who still want to protest, if they are trade unions, prefects will propose alternative routes."

Macron blamed the weekend's violence on “actions led by radical far-left groups who aimed to bring the Republic down," in addition to criminals who came to loot.

The turmoil in Paris and other French cities has prompted a strong security response. Night curfews have been implemented in some areas of the French capital, as well as in other cities where calm has been restored.

Thursday's planned protests were seen as a prelude to Saturday's big demonstration, when activists from the CGT labor union and the “ yellow vest ” movement, whose demonstrations over fuel prices shook France in 2018 and 2019, are expected to join.

Some of those protests, including marches in Lyon, Marseille and Montpellier, will also be banned, local authorities said. Cities outside Paris have been hit hard by the unrest, including Limoges where a fire nearly destroyed the 19th century city hall.

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, who met union representatives on Wednesday, said a “massive” security operation was planned for Saturday to prevent a repeat of the violence by small groups of rioters that had exposed shortcomings in security measures.

Union representatives said their meeting with Lecornu did not result in concrete proposals. They are now focusing on another big day of action scheduled on Nov. 5, and called on private and public sector employees to join.

The demonstrations first erupted last month in a high school in Creteil, southeast of Paris, over a lack of staff. From there, class strikes, blockades and demonstrations spread to other Paris suburbs and then nationwide, even in smaller towns.

High school students have raised concerns about underfunded schools, dilapidated facilities and staff shortages, particularly in lower-income neighborhoods. Some also called for a reform of the university admissions system, seen by many as complex and unfair.

With the government seemingly unable to respond to students' demands, the school demonstrations and blockades have morphed into larger protests over soaring living costs, just months before next year's presidential election to choose Macron's successor.

Nicolas Garriga and Boubkar Benzabat in Paris contributed to this report.

A woman walks past a building with graffiti that reads "The ultra-rich against everyone" and "No justice, no peace. RIP El Hacen" after the weekend protests over the cost of living turned into rioting and looting across France, in Paris, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Teresa Suarez)

A man walks past a burned-out structure next to the inscription in a wall ¨Power = Pedophilia¨ after the weekend protests over the cost of living turned into rioting and looting across France, in Paris, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Teresa Suarez)

People walk past La Barrique bistrot damaged after the weekend protests over the cost of living turned into rioting and looting across France, in Paris, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Teresa Suarez)

View of charred objects from a newsstand after the weekend protests over the cost of living turned into rioting and looting across France, in Paris, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Teresa Suarez)

People watch and take photos of cleanup efforts after weekend protests over the cost of living turned into rioting and looting across France, in Paris, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Teresa Suarez)

CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa. (AP) — Pittsburgh Penguins forward Ben Kindel is back in Pittsburgh and recovering after collapsing on the team's flight back from Utah earlier this week.

Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas said Thursday the 19-year-old Kindel fell ill about 10 minutes after the club left Salt Lake City on Tuesday at the end of a four-game road trip. Team medical personnel attended to Kindel immediately and he quickly regained consciousness.

The plane turned back to the airport for an emergency landing, and Kindel was transported by ambulance to a nearby hospital for observation before being released on Wednesday.

Kindel had a vasovagal episode, which is marked by a sharp drop in heart rate and blood pressure, according to Dubas. Kindel was undergoing further testing at the team complex in an effort to determine what caused him to faint. Dubas said to his knowledge that Kindel had no previous history of collapsing.

Dubas, who met with Kindel on Thursday morning, described the teenager as “very clearly shaken.”

The Penguins placed the 2025 first-round pick on injured reserve, and while there is no timetable for his return, Dubas added the club is optimistic Kindel could be cleared to work out by the end of the weekend, pending test results.

“We will obviously follow very strict guidelines to ensure a safe return to training and play for Ben,” Dubas said. “That’s our primary goal and paramount to his future and health, so that’s how we will handle it.”

Kindel has two points and two assists in nine games this season for Pittsburgh. He played nearly 19 minutes during a loss to Utah on Monday night.

The Penguins canceled practice on Wednesday while the team provided off-ice resources for the players. The club was back at practice for a morning skate Thursday ahead of a visit by the Florida Panthers at PPG Paints Arena.

“Whether you like it or not, the show goes on tonight,” Dubas said. “And so we have to gear up and get ready for that. And that’s the number one: take care of our people. And the number two: put them in a place to perform.”

Kindel's medical scare marked the latest setback during a particularly difficult stretch for the Penguins both on and off the ice.

Pittsburgh forward Andrei Kuzmenko's father died in a remote part of Russia last month after being attacked by a bear while on a fishing trip. And the Penguins sit at 3-6-1 through 10 games, among the worst records in the Eastern Conference.

While the franchise is no stranger to navigating real-world issues — from Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux's cancer battle in the early 1990s to defenseman Kris Letang dealing with a pair of strokes potentially related to a heart condition more recently — longtime captain Sidney Crosby said there's no “blueprint” for how to handle things.

“I think everyone tries to do their best to support each other and be there,” Crosby said. “You know, it’s one of those things where they try to make the best of difficult situations. And we’re a family here.”

Crosby added it was a relief to see Kindel at the facility on Thursday after the jarring image of one of the team's young cornerstones momentarily losing consciousness.

“It’s one of those things you don’t really see happen that often," he said. “So everyone handled it great and we're happy to be here today getting ready for another game.”

While Kindel could be back in the near future, the Penguins will be without two-time Stanley Cup champion forward Bryan Rust until at least December.

The 34-year-old joined Kindel on injured reserve Thursday with a lower-body injury. Pittsburgh coach Dan Muse said Rust, who has three goals and two assists in seven games, will be re-evaluated in six weeks.

The Penguins filled the open roster spots created by Kindel and Rust's absence by calling up forward Rutger McGroarty and defenseman Chase Pietila from their American Hockey League affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

See AP’s full NHL coverage here

FILE - Pittsburgh Penguins center Ben Kindel plays in the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Washington Capitals, Oct. 7, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass, File)