70,000 Police Deployed as France Prepares for New Protest Surge

French authorities are deploying up to 70,000 police officers across the country for Saturday's demonstrations. This substantial mobilization comes one week after a previous round of unrest resulted in looted shops and burned vehicles. The security effort includes support from helicopters, armored vehicles, and water cannons to manage the expected crowds.

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez confirmed the scale of the deployment. In central Paris, a small number of gendarmes were positioned beneath the Arc de Triomphe and along nearby avenues on Friday. Officials adjusted the planned route for the capital's march, confining it to the city's southeastern edge between Porte d'Italie and Porte de Vincennes. This change replaces the earlier planned path from Bastille to Nation. Last week's events drew more than half a million participants, and organizers expect another large turnout this weekend.

The current movement originated last month due to staff shortages at a high school southeast of Paris. It has since expanded to include broader demands from students and unions. Students are requesting more teachers, improved school buildings, and additional university places. Labor unions are advocating for higher wages and better pensions to help households manage rising living costs. Student groups have published a joint 10-point plan that calls for 250,000 additional higher education places and an end to the Parcoursup admissions selection system. The plan also proposes an extra 200 euros in monthly student grants and a rent freeze in public student housing.

Businesses and cultural institutions are feeling the impact of the ongoing tensions. Major venues in Paris, including the Louvre, Musée d'Orsay, Picasso Museum, and the Grand Palais, will be closed on Saturday. The Grand Palais is currently hosting a major Cézanne exhibit. Art Basel opened to the public for a single day on Friday, with organizers canceling the weekend program due to the threat of unrest. Shopkeepers have been barricading their stores throughout the week. In one scene near Saint-Lazare station, contractor Akram Ahmed boarded up an optician's shop, noting that the owner said he was saving his life. Approximately 3,000 shops across France were damaged or looted last weekend.

Local authorities have banned several marches, including those in 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 have criticized these bans as violations of the constitutional right to freedom of expression. Outside the capital, damage has been significant. Two suspects in the fire that nearly destroyed the 19th-century city hall in Limoges are under formal investigation, which includes attempted murder of a public official. Paris police prefect Patrice Faure urged shopkeepers to hire security guards but clarified that protecting businesses remains a government responsibility.

President Emmanuel Macron faces this crisis in the final stretch of his term, with popularity at its lowest since 2017. He has 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 alongside a congress of Marine Le Pen's party, ahead of the presidential election next spring. Victoria Ambrosini, an art critic and teacher, noted that money is concentrated in the hands of very few people, making the current situation untenable.