[Anchor]

In France, where large-scale rallies are scheduled for this weekend, tensions are running high after a court halted the government's ban on protests. Major museums and art galleries are closing their doors, and local shops are stepping up self-security measures to prepare for potential clashes and damage.

Paris correspondent Kwon Yeongin reports.

[Reporter]

Gare Saint-Marcel in Paris, where protests by high school and university student organizations were planned.

With the French government banning the demonstrations, the area around the station was sealed off with police cars, and all subway stations along the rally site and march route were closed.

[Jerome / French Citizen: I'm trying to find an open subway station. I am not sure. I'll just go and see, and if it doesn't work out, I'll take an Uber or see how it goes.]

[Hippolyte / University Student Protester: We won't just take it sitting down. We don't want this movement taken away from us. We want to keep fighting. We want to keep mobilizing.]

Shortly after 2:00 PM, the scheduled start time of the rally, the Paris court accepted an emergency injunction filed by student organizations requesting the withdrawal of the government's protest ban.

The blockade was immediately lifted, and all closed subway stations were reopened.

As the rally was permitted, students who had been scattered across various locations are now gathering here at the protest site.

[Coppelia Moreau / Spokesperson, Ile-de-France University Student Organization: We welcome all young people and express our gratitude. This was possible also because young people and labor union organizations mobilized to support this movement.]

Adult union members joined the student groups as well, and the protest, which lasted for two hours, ended without major clashes.

As the court put the brakes on the government's ban, the Paris police have effectively decided to allow the large-scale rally originally slated for Saturday as well.

The City of Paris has advised residents to move items that could be used in protests, such as trash cans and bicycles, indoors to prevent demonstrations from escalating into violence.

The city also cancelled some outdoor events for the weekend and began dismantling construction site barricades around the protest areas.

Shops that suffered heavy damage from looting are tightening their own security with items like homemade tear spray.

[Christiana / Merchant: I can protect myself. I have the means to protect myself. If someone comes in and an unfortunate incident happens, it cannot be helped. I have prepared everything I need. I will protect it myself.]

In other major cities like Lyon and Marseille, the bans on protests remain in place.

Authorities have decided to deploy special forces and military troops to Paris, along with a 20% increase in police personnel compared to last week.

Major tourist spots, including the Louvre Museum and the Orsay Museum, have decided to close for the day on Saturday, further heightening tension across Paris ahead of the massive demonstrations.

(Video footage by Kim Si-nae | Video editing by Kim Byeong-jik)