France Deploys 70,000 Officers for Protests

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez has ordered 70,000 police officers to be deployed across France for a new round of demonstrations scheduled for Saturday. The mobilization includes helicopters, armored vehicles, and water cannons. This heavy security posture comes one week after unrest resulted in looted shops and burned vehicles.

The conflict between student and worker groups and the government centers on school funding and the rising cost of living. Student groups have proposed a 10-point plan that demands 250,000 additional higher education places and an end to the Parcoursup admissions system. They also seek an increase in student grants by 200 euros per month and a rent freeze for public student housing. Unions have joined the protests to advocate for higher wages and pensions.

The movement began last month following staff shortages at a high school southeast of Paris. It has since expanded to include broader economic demands. Paris authorities adjusted the planned march route on Friday. The demonstration will now run between Porte d'Italie and Porte de Vincennes on the city's southeastern edge. This change replaces the originally planned path from Bastille to Nation. More than half a million people attended last week's protests, and another large crowd is expected on Saturday.

Cultural institutions and businesses have prepared for the unrest by closing or limiting access. The Louvre, Musée d'Orsay, Picasso Museum, and Grand Palais are closed on Saturday. The Grand Palais is currently hosting a major Cézanne exhibit. Art Basel opened to the public on Friday for a single day before organizers canceled the weekend program due to the threat of unrest. Shopkeepers have spent the week barricading their stores. Akram Ahmed, a 34-year-old contractor, boarded up an optician's shop near Saint-Lazare station. He stated that the shop owner called him the previous night and said he was saving his life. Approximately 3,000 shops across France were damaged or looted during the previous weekend.

Local authorities have banned marches in several cities, including Lyon, Nice, and Montpellier. Marches remain scheduled for Paris and Marseille. French media reported that police used tear gas in Lyon on Saturday morning. Trade unions criticized these bans as violations of the constitutional right to freedom of expression. Outside the capital, the damage from previous unrest has been substantial. Two suspects were placed under formal investigation and held pending trial for a fire that nearly destroyed the 19th-century city hall in Limoges. The probe includes a charge of attempted murder of a public official.

Patrice Faure, the Paris police prefect, urged shopkeepers to hire security guards. He later clarified that protecting businesses remains the government's responsibility. President Emmanuel Macron faces this crisis in the final stretch of his term, with his popularity at its lowest level since taking office in 2017. He stated that the security measures are necessary to protect city centers, businesses, and public buildings. In Orléans, located about 110 kilometers south of Paris, thousands gathered for an anti-far-right protest. This event was held alongside a two-day 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, observed that money is concentrated in the hands of very few people. She added that this concentration is no longer possible.