View of shops with display windows protected by wooden panels days ahead of a second round of demonstrations in Paris, France
France deploys 70,000 police officers
The unrest last weekend saw more than 2,500 people arrested across the country, while the French government said around 450 shops in Paris alone were damaged or looted. Interior minister Laurent Nuñez said around 70,000 police officers and gendarmes would be deployed across France over the weekend. Around 20,000 to 30,000 protesters are expected to gather in opposition to the event, with nearly 3,000 police officers and security personnel due to be deployed, according to Euronews.
“We all have a right to protest,” he said, “but vandalism, that’s a different matter. I’m not mad at them at all,” he said, describing the moment as historic. In Orléans, businesses along the planned protest route have taken similar precautions ahead of a weekend that will see the city host a congress of the far-right National Rally party. The move follows criticism of the authorities’ response to last weekend’s unrest. Authorities have imposed restrictions on demonstrations in several cities. “People who steal, they are just getting what they didn’t get from the government.
Shopkeepers in Paris are boarding up windows and securing their premises ahead of fresh anti-government protests scheduled across France on Saturday, a week after demonstrations escalated into violent riots that left thousands of businesses vandalised or looted. French President Emmanuel Macron decreed earlier in the week that only demonstrations organised by recognised trade unions would be permitted on Saturday, while cities including Lyon, Nice and Montpellier announced broader bans on gatherings.