Paris protest standoff: unions reject police route, 24 metro stations to close

A standoff has emerged over Saturday's Paris protest route, with unions rejecting a police-proposed change and insisting on their original Bastille-to-Nation march. The prefecture wants a different route between Porte de Vincennes and Porte d'Italie. The RATP will close 24 metro stations from 9am, spanning areas from the Champs-Élysées to the Latin Quarter, with partial service interruptions on lines 2, 6, and 12. The unions maintain their 2pm departure from Bastille, while a separate gilets jaunes route to Opéra has been banned. Authorities are preparing a massive security operation with military reinforcements and elite units, following violence at the October 17 protests. President Macron has stated only union-declared marches will be permitted, and several cities including Lyon and Marseille have banned demonstrations entirely.