France braces for new protests

City centres filled with bustling crowds, protesting against the high cost of living and demanding better conditions at work and in school. Scenes like these could be few and far between this weekend. Already, local authorities across France have banned demonstrations over fears of unrest. From north to south, east to west, the list of bans keeps growing. In Brest, Nancy, Lyon and Nice, authorities have imposed bans on protests in central areas. Meanwhile in Marseille, unions have been given the go-ahead to march. They've agreed a route with local authorities, a result welcomed by the CGT trade union. At first we felt the government's measures were worthy of a totalitarian state. Now that the authorities have backed down and we've clawed back our right to protest, we're moving back towards democracy. But do these bans go too far? The government says they are needed to prevent unrest, but human rights campaigners say they infringe on the right to demonstrate. Unrest cannot be used to justify such severe restrictions on fundamental freedoms. If we accept that, we risk reaching a tipping point for the rule of law, which is under serious attack. The balance is shifting at the expense of fundamental freedoms. France's administrative courts are being kept busy with appeals. Bans can be challenged right up to the last minute. In Paris on Thursday, a court overturned a ban on this student demonstration, allowing the protests to go ahead peacefully. But will protesters respect tomorrow's bans? That remains the big unknown. Some trade union alliances, in Corrèze, central France for example, say their marches will go ahead. Anyone taking part in a banned demonstration faces a €135 fine, while France's domestic intelligence services expect 400,000 to 500,000 people to take to the streets this weekend.