France Deploys Massive Police Force Ahead of Nationwide Protests

Seventy thousand police officers are being positioned across France as the country prepares for another major round of public demonstrations.

This significant mobilization comes just one week after previous unrest resulted in looted shops and burned vehicles. The new protests focus on school funding and the rising cost of living, with Paris expected to host a large turnout. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez confirmed the deployment of up to seventy thousand officers, supported by helicopters, armored vehicles, and water cannons. In central Paris, dozens of gendarmes have already been posted beneath the Arc de Triomphe and along nearby avenues.

Authorities adjusted the planned route for the Paris march on Friday. The demonstration is now confined to the southeastern edge of the city, running between Porte d'Italie and Porte de Vincennes. This change moves the march away from its originally planned path from Bastille to Nation. Last week's protests attracted more than half a million people, and officials anticipate a similarly large crowd for this weekend's events.

The movement began last month over staff shortages at a high school southeast of Paris but has since expanded significantly. Students are demanding more teachers, improved school buildings, and additional university places. Unions are pushing for higher wages and better pensions to help households manage living costs. Student groups have also outlined a ten-point plan that calls for 250,000 additional higher education places and the end to selection through the Parcoursup admissions system. They are further requesting an extra 200 euros in monthly student grants and a rent freeze in public student housing.

Cultural venues and businesses are feeling the impact of the unrest. Major sites including the Louvre, Musée d'Orsay, Picasso Museum, and Grand Palais will remain closed on Saturday. Art Basel opened to the public for a single day on Friday, but organizers cancelled the rest of the weekend program due to the threat of protests. Shopkeepers have spent the week barricading their stores. Akram Ahmed, a 34-year-old contractor, was boarding up an optician's shop near Saint-Lazare station. He noted that he received the call the previous night and that the owner believed he was saving his life. Approximately 3,000 shops across France were damaged or looted last weekend.

Not all rallies are proceeding as scheduled. Marches are allowed in Paris and Marseille, but local authorities have banned others, including in Lyon, Nice, and Montpellier. French media reported that police used tear gas in Lyon on Saturday morning. Trade unions have criticized these bans as violations of the constitutional protection for freedom of expression. Outside the capital, the damage has been significant. Two suspects in the fire that nearly destroyed the 19th-century city hall in Limoges have been placed under formal investigation. The probe includes attempted murder of a public official. Paris police prefect Patrice Faure urged shopkeepers to hire security guards, though he later clarified that protecting businesses is the government's responsibility.

President Emmanuel Macron faces this crisis during the final stretch of his term, with popularity at its lowest since taking office in 2017. He has stated that the 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, ahead of next spring's presidential election. Victoria Ambrosini, an art critic and teacher at Saint-Denis University, observed that money is now concentrated in the hands of very few people, adding that it is not possible anymore.