France to ban rallies near Paris climate talks

French officials will ban any rallies, marches, concerts or other outside events related to the United Nations Climate Change Conference starting in two weeks in Paris.

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls announced the new rules Monday, saying the talks will still happen, but new security measures are necessary following Friday’s coordinated terrorist attacks around Paris that killed 129 people, Reuters reported.

{mosads}“A series of demonstrations planned will not take place and it will be reduced to the negotiations,” Valls told a radio station. “A lot of concerts and festivities will be canceled.”

Valls said canceling the negotiations would be “abdicating to the terrorists,” and that no world leaders participating in the talks had asked for such a move.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, who is in Turkey for the Group of 20 meeting with other world leaders, said foreign officials told him that the terrorist attacks make it even more important that they attend the climate meeting, Reuters said.

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy had considered calling publicly for the climate talks to be canceled, but changed his mind.

President Obama is among the leaders planning to attend the talks. He will go to Paris Nov. 30 and Oct. 1, the first two days of the two-week meeting.