France Deploys 70,000 Officers to Guard Against New Wave of Protests

Seventy thousand police officers are being deployed across France on Saturday. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez announced this significant increase in security forces. The deployment includes support from helicopters, armored vehicles, and water cannons. This heavy mobilization comes one week after a previous round of unrest caused widespread damage. Shops were looted and vehicles were burned during the last protest wave. Authorities in Paris are preparing for another large turnout of demonstrators.

The movement has expanded well beyond its initial origins. It began last month over staff shortages at a single high school southeast of Paris. Now, students and workers are marching over broader issues. Students are requesting more teachers, improved school buildings, and additional university places. Unions are pushing for higher wages and better pensions to help households manage rising living costs. Student groups have outlined a joint ten-point plan. This plan calls for 250,000 additional higher education places and an end to the Parcoursup admissions system. It also requests an extra 200 euros, about 313 Canadian dollars, per month in student grants and a rent freeze in public housing.

Police authorities altered the route for the Paris march on Friday. The demonstration is now confined to the city's southeastern edge. It will run between Porte d'Italie and Porte de Vincennes. This differs from the previously planned path from Bastille to Nation. Last week's protests drew more than half a million people, and another large crowd is expected this weekend. In central Paris, a few dozen gendarmes were positioned beneath the Arc de Triomphe and along nearby avenues.

The strain on local businesses and cultural venues is significant. Major institutions like the Louvre, Musée d'Orsay, and Grand Palais are closed for Saturday. The Grand Palais is currently hosting a major Cézanne exhibit. Art Basel opened to the public for a single day on Friday. Organizers canceled the weekend program due to the threat of unrest. Shopkeepers have been barricading their stores all week. Akram Ahmed, a 34-year-old contractor, was boarding up an optician's shop near Saint-Lazare station. He stated, "I got the call last night," adding that the owner told him he was saving his life. About 3,000 shops across France were damaged or looted last weekend.

Not every rally has been permitted to proceed. Marches are scheduled in Paris and Marseille. However, local authorities banned demonstrations in other cities, including Lyon, Nice, and Montpellier. French media reported that police used tear gas in Lyon on Saturday morning. Trade unions have criticized these bans as violations of freedom of expression, a right protected by the constitution. Outside the capital, the damage has been severe. Two suspects in the fire that nearly destroyed the 19th-century city hall in Limoges were placed under formal investigation. They are being held pending trial, with the probe including attempted murder of a public official.

President Emmanuel Macron faces this crisis in the final stretch of his term. His popularity is at its lowest since he took office in 2017. He has stated that the measures are needed to protect city centers, businesses, and public buildings. Paris police prefect Patrice Faure urged shopkeepers to hire security guards. He later clarified that protecting businesses remains the government's responsibility. In Orléans, thousands gathered for an anti-far-right protest. This event was held alongside a congress of Marine Le Pen's party ahead of next spring's presidential election. Victoria Ambrosini, an art critic and teacher at Saint-Denis University, noted that money is now concentrated in the hands of very few people. She added, "it's not possible anymore."