A climate demonstration originally planned for Saturday in Paris has been changed to a static gathering at Place de la République, according to recent reports. The change comes as the city prepares for the visit of Pope Francis, which has limited the number of permitted public events. The original plan had called for a march starting at Place de la Nation at 2 p.m., but the local authorities have only allowed a static gathering at Place de la République, scheduled for between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. According to the organizers, the change was due to the Pope’s visit, which restricted the ability to obtain a permit for a march. Benjamin Ball, co-organizer of the event from the association Bio Consom'acteur, explained that the prefecture was concerned about the number of participants and the availability of police units on that day. Despite the disappointment, the organizers emphasized that their movement is based on local initiatives, with 261 mobilizations planned across France. Mattia Gonget, a 20-year-old student and co-author of a recent call for youth to demonstrate, said the most important thing is that other cities in France remain mobilized. Gabriel Mazzolini from Friends of the Earth shared this sentiment, stressing the importance of the national demonstration taking place, even with the change in format. The organizers had chosen the date, which coincides with the Pope’s visit, to launch the movement for the school year without conflicting with other planned demonstrations. More than a thousand organizations have joined the movement, including well-known groups such as Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, Alternatiba, and the Climate Action Network.