France deploys 70,000 police for Saturday protests

French residents face a heavy police presence on Saturday as the government mobilizes up to 70,000 officers for new nationwide demonstrations. This deployment follows a week of street unrest that resulted in looted shops and burned vehicles. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez confirmed the number of personnel being sent to the streets. The force includes helicopters, armored vehicles, and water cannons to support ground units.

The security operation is already visible in the capital. Dozens of gendarmes are stationed beneath the Arc de Triomphe and along nearby avenues in central Paris. On Friday, authorities changed the planned route for the Paris march. The procession will now run between Porte d'Italie and Porte de Vincennes on the city's southeastern edge. This shift moves the march away from the originally planned path from Bastille to Nation. Organizers expect a large turnout, similar to the half a million people who marched last week.

The protests began last month over staff shortages at a high school southeast of Paris. The movement has since expanded to include demands from students and workers. Student groups released a 10-point plan that asks for 250,000 additional places in higher education. They also want an end to the Parcoursup admissions selection system. The plan includes an extra 200 euros per month in student grants and a rent freeze in public student housing. Unions are pushing for higher wages and better pension protections to help households manage rising living costs.

Businesses and cultural institutions are preparing for the disruption. Major Parisian venues including 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, which opened to the public on Friday, canceled its weekend program due to the threat of unrest. Shopkeepers have been barricading their stores all week. Akram Ahmed, a 34-year-old contractor, boarded up an optician's shop near Saint-Lazare station. He said the owner told him he was saving his life. Approximately 3,000 shops across France were damaged or looted during the previous weekend.

Local authorities have banned protests in several cities to manage the situation. Marches are scheduled in Paris and Marseille, but events in Lyon, Nice, and Montpellier were prohibited. French media reported that police used tear gas in Lyon on Saturday morning. Trade unions criticized the bans, arguing they violate the freedom of expression protected by the constitution.

Outside the capital, authorities are investigating serious damage to public buildings. In Limoges, two suspects in the fire that nearly destroyed the 19th-century city hall were placed under formal investigation. The probe includes a charge of attempted murder of a public official. Both suspects are being held pending trial. Paris police prefect Patrice Faure urged shopkeepers to hire security guards. He later clarified that protecting businesses remains the responsibility of the government.

President Emmanuel Macron faces this crisis in the final stretch of his term. His popularity is at its lowest level since taking office in 2017. He stated that the measures are necessary to protect city centers, businesses, and public buildings. In Orléans, about 110 kilometers south of Paris, thousands gathered for an anti-far-right protest. This event coincided with a two-day congress of Marine Le Pen's nationalist party ahead of next spring's presidential election. Victoria Ambrosini, an art critic and teacher at Saint-Denis University, said money is now concentrated in the hands of very few people. She added that the current situation is not possible anymore.