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France is preparing for major demonstrations with a nationwide deployment of 70,000 police officers as authorities tighten restrictions and warn of firm action against violence.
Mariyam Adheela
Students raise their hands in front of police officers as they demonstrate outside Sciences Po during a protest over school overcrowding and decay in Paris, France -- Photo Human Rights Watch
PARIS, France: French authorities are preparing a major security operation ahead of nationwide demonstrations on Saturday, deploying around 70,000 police officers amid concerns over renewed violence and looting.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said the deployment would include elite police units, mounted officers, helicopters, drones, armoured vehicles and water cannon. The force is around 10,000 personnel larger than the deployment used during the previous weekend’s demonstrations.
President Emmanuel Macron was due to convene a defence council on Friday and meet security forces as the government prepared further measures. More than 500,000 people demonstrated across France last Saturday, with some gatherings marred by clashes and looting.
Authorities have imposed restrictions on demonstrations and public transport in several cities. Paris has extended its nighttime curfew until Monday, while Lyon has banned gatherings in central areas and introduced curfews and transport restrictions for Saturday.
In Marseille, where demonstrations had also been prohibited, authorities agreed to allow one union-organised march as an exception. In Paris, police authorised a limited union demonstration but rejected requests from student groups and the Yellow Vest movement, according to reports. Student union UNEF said its planned rallies would proceed despite the restrictions.
The measures follow weeks of student protests over conditions in schools, joined by people expressing frustration over the cost of living and other grievances. Macron has blamed what he described as “seditious” far-left groups for the unrest.
The restrictions have drawn criticism from civil liberties groups and labour unions. Amnesty International warned that the measures threatened the right to peaceful assembly, while Human Rights Watch raised concerns about reports of children suffering serious injuries from crowd-control weapons.
Student representatives have also criticised the government’s response, arguing that the restrictions undermine the right to protest. Macron met high school students on Friday, but student representatives said they were waiting for concrete proposals following planned talks with the prime minister.
Authorities have urged shops and businesses in major cities to close during the demonstrations. The Louvre and the Louis Vuitton Foundation were scheduled to shut on Saturday, while the Paris edition of the Art Basel art fair was due to end two days earlier than planned.
France’s Ministry of Justice said around 2,700 people had been arrested since the previous Saturday’s violence. Nuñez warned that police would take a firm approach towards rioting, looting and other acts of violence as the country braces for another day of demonstrations.
