France deploys 70,000 officers to secure second wave of national protests

Seventy thousand police officers and gendarmes were deployed across France on Saturday to manage the second wave of mass demonstrations. This number represents a twenty percent increase in personnel compared to the previous weekend, according to Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez. The massive deployment was designed to prevent a recurrence of the disorder that marked the country's worst riots in years just one week earlier.

The unrest originated in mid-September when high school students began blockading schools to protest dilapidated buildings, teacher shortages, and the university admission system known as Parcoursup. On October 17, more than half a million people joined the marches. While largely peaceful, that day saw widespread looting and vandalism, with thousands of businesses damaged and more than 2,000 people detained. President Emmanuel Macron met with student representatives for the first time on Friday, promising more teachers and a major overhaul of the admission process, but students vowed to continue mobilizing until concrete actions are delivered.

In Paris, the main march started at Porte d'Italie and was scheduled to conclude at Porte de Vincennes along the southeastern edge of the city. Local authorities restricted this to the only permitted route after banning an originally negotiated central itinerary between Place de la Bastille and Place de la Nation. Protests organized by groups other than unions were also prohibited. These last-minute changes angered many participants. Emma, a protester and podcaster, described the routing as a government tactic to drain energy from the movement. Monica, a retired public education employee, said the move made the authorities appear to want the movement to be invisible.

Marchers included students, teachers, ecologists, nurses, and union representatives who danced and chanted slogans in the streets. Some called for Macron to resign, while one group shouted, "Too many billionaires; We are preparing the revolution." Another group chanted, "We are all anti-fascists." In central Paris, many businesses shuttered and covered windows with protective panels, and some retailers hired private security. At least 24 metro stations closed at the police prefecture's request, and major cultural institutions such as the Louvre and the Musee d'Orsay shut their doors for the day. Art Basel Paris also cancelled its weekend programme.

By early Saturday afternoon, police reported the arrest of at least 135 people nationwide and the seizure of various weapons. Authorities acknowledged the situation remained calm. Protests were banned in downtown areas of several cities, including Montpellier, Rouen, and Nice. In Marseille, a union march was authorized under strict conditions, while police in Lyon fired tear gas to disperse approximately 150 demonstrators. The elite RAID unit supported other police operations rather than directly handling crowds. The Yellow Vest movement announced a separate protest for October 31.

The political stakes are high as the turmoil occurs about six months before a presidential election. Macron is barred from a third consecutive term and will leave office in 2027. Marine Le Pen, who campaigns on restoring law and order, leads recent polls by a wide margin. In Orleans, thousands shouted anti-fascist slogans while her National Rally held a party congress marking the start of its campaign. Authorities expected between 20,000 and 30,000 people to join a counter-demonstration in the city.