More than 70,000 police officers will be deployed across France on Saturday as new protests against deteriorating school conditions and high costs of living are expected, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez announced Friday. The government aims to avoid a repeat of last weekend’s unrest, which left nearly 1,000 officers injured and over 3,000 stores looted or damaged, with more than 2,500 arrests. Nuñez warned he would be "inflexible toward rioters and looters," citing far-left social media calls for violence.
Police response will be "extremely mobile, agile and effective," utilizing elite units, mounted officers, drones, helicopters, armored vehicles and water-cannon trucks. On Saturday, demonstrators supported by labor unions and left-wing parties plan a "second act" of last weekend’s rallies, estimated at over 500,000 participants. Some identify with the "yellow vests" movement.
Authorities in cities most affected have issued temporary gathering restrictions and curfews. President Emmanuel Macron recommended no protests in the coming days. The Paris police rejected several protest permits but authorized a C.
G. T. union demonstration between Bastille and Nation squares, banning fireworks and fuel. Several cultural institutions including the Louvre and Picasso museum will close.
A PSG vs. Lyon soccer match scheduled for Sunday has been postponed. In Orléans, about 75 miles south of Paris, authorities brace for unrest ahead of a National Rally convention expecting 15,000 attendees, authorizing a protest but banning one on Sunday. Officials in Marseille initially banned all protests but later authorized a union demonstration.
Montpellier, Rouen, Toulon, Nice, Le Havre and other cities banned downtown protests.
Source: New York Times Top Stories · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing