Macron convenes intelligence services as France braces for new protests

French President Emmanuel Macron is convening intelligence services at the Élysée Palace amid ongoing urban violence, while La France Insoumise (LFI) demands apologies and political answers from Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu. The executive is attempting to reduce tensions two days before a new mobilization, with "firmness" as its watchword. Lecornu is meeting political parties at Matignon on Thursday, with interior and justice ministers present, promising transparency about the October 17 violence. LFI coordinator Manuel Bompard says he will request apologies for accusations linking his party to the riots, while also raising issues like Parcoursup abolition and education funding. Paris police have banned gatherings in central areas including the Élysée, Louvre, and Champs-Élysées. Shopkeepers in pillaged Paris neighborhoods are barricading ahead of Saturday's "Act II" protests, with some saying they may never reopen on weekends. Thailand and Malaysia have advised citizens against non-essential travel to France, while a "gilets jaunes" coordination has filed a declaration for a Saturday march from Bastille to Opéra.