France Deploys 70,000 Police as Protest Disorder Fears Grow

Paris (GNP): France’s interior minister has warned of a “very high risk of public disorder” and announced the deployment of around 70,000 police officers and gendarmes across the country for a fresh wave of protests this weekend.

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez told reporters on Thursday that 31 October carries the highest risk. The Yellow Vest movement and student unions have called for a new day of protests on Saturday. The deployment matches the number mobilised a week ago, and Nunez said the security measures introduced last week to protect shops will be strengthened.

The warning follows a turbulent month. France has been shaken by widespread protests over the rising cost of living and inequality, and nationwide demonstrations on 17 October degenerated into some of the worst rioting in years. Authorities have admitted to security and intelligence failures that allowed large-scale looting and the vandalism of public property that day.

Last weekend’s rallies were largely peaceful, although some street violence still occurred. Even so, Nunez said demonstrations will be allowed on Saturday, but not in city centres where disorder is considered a risk.

He also pointed to calls circulating on social media for Halloween gatherings on Saturday evening, urging a “revolution”. Nunez said radical left groups and some radicalised Yellow Vest activists are spreading those appeals, and that the gatherings will be banned.

The unrest grew out of weeks of student demonstrations over learning conditions. On Monday, the government announced measures to address their demands, including replacing the university admissions platform and providing loans for school renovations. Students said the proposals did not go far enough.

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Criticism of the police response has widened the movement. The handling of the protests has been described as heavy-handed and has fed a broader campaign against the cost of living and police violence, and several teenage protesters have been seriously injured.

Talks on Thursday did little to ease the tension. Representatives of youth organisations met Nunez but left disappointed, and some attendees accused him of refusing to acknowledge violence committed against protesters.

Manon Moret, secretary-general of the student union Unef, said, “This meeting was a dialogue of the deaf.”