On Friday evening, the Moselle Prefecture made the decision to ban the gathering, according to information from our colleagues at RTL Infos.
After lengthy negotiations with the CGT trade union, which had announced the demonstration for this Saturday at 2pm, a disagreement over the route the march would take led to an outright ban on the gathering.
Whether that will be enough to dissuade protesters from taking to the streets in Metz, will be answered this Saturday afternoon.
More than 5,000 people took part in the demonstration in Metz, on 17 October. The first protest against the rising cost of living began peacefully, before violence erupted in the late afternoon. On Rue des Clercs, a Sandro clothing store was completely looted, while riot police and protesters clashed on Place d'Armes, with paving stones thrown and tear gas deployed.
Now, on the eve of a second round of demonstrations scheduled for Saturday, fear has gripped local shopkeepers.
For Marie-France, manager of the Zapa store located right next to Sandro, putting herself and her employee in danger to protect the shop is out of the question:
"Some people say you have to be prepared to sacrifice yourself. I'd rather close the shop to protect my staff and my merchandise. What happened was just terrifying."
Valérie, a cobbler whose shop is two doors down, shares that view.
"Protecting employees has to come first. Depending on how the demonstration unfolds, we'll see whether we need to close everything or not. We have glass windows and a reinforced door."
Last Saturday, she and her husband were forced to flee their shop in a hurry.
Tensions are running high among shopkeepers across Metz. The main problem is that the scale of the upcoming protest remains difficult to predict.
No gathering has yet been officially confirmed by the prefectural authorities, and it is impossible to estimate how many people will turn up or what their intentions might be.
Some businesses, like Nespresso, have already begun installing large wooden boards over their windows for protection, anticipating further clashes.
"I wanted to put some up in front of my shop, but unfortunately my supplier had run out!" laments Pierre, manager at Mise Au Green.
Pierre spent much of Friday morning speaking with fellow shopkeepers and his superiors to decide what to do on Saturday.
"We haven't received any information so far, which is very worrying. I'm extremely stressed about tomorrow. We'll have to decide whether to open just in the morning or close for the entire day", he says.
Some shops, such as Cotélac, will remain completely closed following a decision made at national level.
Others are determined to continue trading at all costs, even if it means confronting vandals.
One particularly angry city-centre shop manager says she cannot understand such behaviour:
"My metal shutters aren't working very well anymore. I'll try to lower them if necessary, but otherwise I'll hit them!"
Last Saturday, what began as a peaceful march turned into violent clashes near the cathedral. Jérôme, whose shop is quite close to Place d'Armes, witnessed everything and filmed the scenes on his phone.
"It was like guerilla warfare. Young people were running away from the police. Paving stones and security barriers were being thrown. Luckily for us, two officers were right outside our door, so nobody could get in.
The store manager, who prefers not to reveal the shop's name, is appalled by the violence directed at businesses:
"Above all, I hope there won't be any looting. We're like everyone else, we have our own problems as small business owners. This is our livelihood, how we earn our wages."
Since last Saturday, he has been preparing for the possibility of further unrest and says he has "taken extensive measures to protect our shop in case anyone tries to break in."
However, there is little that can be done if a large group of vandals manages to force its way into a store.
Jérôme is placing considerable trust in the police, who he praised after the efforts made to protect his business during the first demonstration.
The hardest part for shopkeepers is the impact on their revenue. Pierre and his Mise Au Green store will lose "80% of the usual turnover" this Saturday. But Jérôme believes there could be heavier consequences:
"If we can't make sales every Saturday, that will quickly become a problem, since it is our busiest day. I am also worried about the attractiveness of the city centre and the Christmas market, which usually brings in a lot of customers.
How big will the protests be this Saturday, 24 October? In Metz, the answer will become clear at 2pm, at the Place de la République.
A decision from the local authorities on whether to authorise a supervised demonstration is expected on Friday evening.
