France Mobilizes 70,000 Officers for Saturday

France mobilized 70,000 police officers for demonstrations scheduled for Saturday. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez confirmed the deployment includes helicopters, armored vehicles, and water cannons. This surge in security follows a week of unrest that left shops looted and vehicles burned across the country.

Authorities altered the protest route in Paris on Friday. The march is now restricted to the city's southeastern edge, specifically between Porte d'Italie and Porte de Vincennes. This change diverts the crowd from the originally planned path running from Bastille to Nation. A few dozen gendarmes were already positioned beneath the Arc de Triomphe and on nearby avenues in central Paris.

The current wave of demonstrations draws on the momentum of last week's marches, which attracted more than half a million participants. Student groups and trade unions are protesting school funding and rising living costs. Student organizations proposed a 10-point plan that demands 250,000 additional higher education places and an end to the Parcoursup admissions system. They also seek an extra 200 euros in monthly student grants and a freeze on rents in public student housing.

Businesses are taking preemptive measures to protect their inventory. Approximately 3,000 shops across France were damaged or looted during the previous weekend's disturbances. Contractor Akram Ahmed, 34, boarded up an optician's shop near Saint-Lazare station. He stated that the owner called him the night before to secure the building. Cultural venues, including the Louvre and the Grand Palais, closed their doors for the day. Art Basel canceled its weekend program after opening to the public for a single day on Friday.

Local authorities banned marches in several cities, including Lyon, Nice, and Montpellier, while allowing rallies in Paris and Marseille. French media reported that police used tear gas in Lyon on Saturday morning. Trade unions criticized these bans as violations of constitutional freedom of expression. In Limoges, two suspects were placed under formal investigation and held pending trial regarding a fire that nearly destroyed the 19th-century city hall. The probe includes the charge of attempted murder of a public official.

President Emmanuel Macron faces the crisis in the final stretch of his term, with his popularity at its lowest level since 2017. He stated that the security measures are necessary to protect city centers, businesses, and public buildings. In Orléans, thousands gathered for an anti-far-right protest held alongside a congress of Marine Le Pen's party. Victoria Ambrosini, an art critic and teacher at Saint-Denis University, said money is now concentrated in the hands of very few people.