French court rejects union appeal, Paris march to start at Porte d'Italie

A French administrative court has rejected a union appeal against the police-imposed route for a Paris protest march, which will now depart from Porte d'Italie. The unions had contested the route change from their originally agreed path. The unions and police had previously agreed on a route between Place de la Bastille and Place de la Nation, but the prefecture imposed a different course. The CGT's Vincent Gautheron accused the government of a procedural maneuver, claiming the police transmitted the route ban after the deadline for filing legal challenges. An inter-union coalition, including CFDT, CGT, FO, FSU, and Solidaires, along with youth organizations, will hold a press conference at 1:30 PM at Porte d'Italie. The UNEF student union condemned the decision as part of broader repression against fundamental freedoms.