France mobilises 70,000 police and special units ahead of Saturday protests

French authorities deployed a reinforced security presence across Paris and other cities ahead of nationwide protests expected on Saturday, aiming to prevent a repeat of last weekend’s violence.

The Interior Ministry announced that about 20 percent more security personnel will be on duty compared with October 17. Around 70,000 police officers, supported by helicopters, armoured vehicles and water cannon, are being mobilised across France.

Special units and preventive bans

French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez warned demonstrators yesterday that the police would be "absolutely uncompromising towards those who take part in violence." Authorities said they have detected calls for violence and vandalism on social networks from radical far-left groups.

The existing ban on illegal gatherings remains in force, while organised groups such as trade unions have been offered alternative march routes designed to protect shops and other businesses from vandals. The counterterror deployment includes Operation Sentinelle, the GIGN tactical unit of the national gendarmerie and RAID, the elite tactical unit of the National Police.

Officials recalled the scale of last weekend’s unrest: about 2,700 people were arrested, roughly 1,000 faced court, and 217 people were sentenced to prison in accelerated proceedings. The disturbances escalated when some demonstrators set fires, entered public buildings, smashed shop windows, looted and clashed with police.

Local authorities have introduced a range of restrictive measures. In Marseille there will be no public transport today to avoid a repeat of the previous weekend’s damage to more than 500 businesses, and the prefecture for the Rhône region imposed a curfew from 23:00 to 05:00 that was in force from last night until this morning at 05:00. Similar restrictions were announced in Nice, Toulon, Rouen and Grenoble.

In Paris the police approved the General Confederation of Labour (CGT) union’s route from Bastille to Nation for a 14:00 march, while the route from Bastille to Opéra sought by the "Yellow Vests" was banned. Gatherings are also prohibited in front of the Élysée Palace, the prime minister’s office and both houses of the French parliament. Because of planned demonstrations, 24 metro stations will be closed from 09:00, and major museums including the Louvre, Orsay, Picasso and the Grand Palais have been ordered to shut for the day.

Photo: press material from the event