France Deploys 70,000 Security Personnel for Protests
France deployed about 70,000 police and security personnel as protests over school conditions and the cost of living spread nationwide. Authorities reported…
PARIS — France bracing protests deploys about 70,000 police and security personnel as demonstrations over school conditions and the rising cost of living spread across the country. The scale of the operation reflects authorities’ efforts to prevent a repeat of last weekend’s violence, while restrictions on marches have added to tensions.
The protests brought hundreds of thousands of people into the streets on Saturday. France’s Interior Ministry counted 410,000 nationwide, including 110,000 in Paris; the CGT union confederation put both totals at nearly double the official figures.
Police arrested nearly 1,000 people nationwide on Saturday, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said. He described officers as facing “an extremely elevated level of violence,” according to Al Jazeera.
The protests began with high school students’ demands for better learning conditions and have widened into anger over living costs. That shift has drawn students, teachers, nurses, environmentalists and union representatives into the demonstrations.
Paris march moved to city’s edge
In Paris, demonstrators began at Porte d’Italie and marched towards Porte de Vincennes along the Boulevards des Marechaux. Al Jazeera reported that the march reached its destination by 5pm local time.
The atmosphere changed as night fell. Police used tear gas and water cannon to disperse the crowd, while some demonstrators dressed in black threw objects from the streets. Authorities said 500 “rioters” clashed with law enforcement, but described the violence as less severe than during the previous weekend’s confrontations.
Authorities permitted only one route for Saturday’s union-led march, after blocking the previously negotiated central route between Place de la Bastille and Place de la Nation. Other demonstrations organised outside the unions were also prohibited, Al Jazeera reported.
The route change angered protesters. Emma, a protester and podcaster who did not give her last name, said the government was trying to discourage the movement. Monica, a retired public education worker, said changing the route at short notice gave the impression authorities wanted to make the movement invisible.
The restrictions also affected daily life and businesses. Shops in central Paris closed or covered their windows with protective panels, and at least 24 metro stations shut at police request. The Louvre and the Musee d’Orsay closed for the day, while Art Basel Paris cancelled its weekend programme.
Security deployment follows last weekend’s unrest
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said authorities were deploying 20 percent more officers than the previous weekend. The operation included police and gendarmes, alongside the RAID elite police unit. Nunez said RAID officers would not directly manage crowds but would support other police operations.
In remarks reported by Deutsche Welle, Nunez warned that calls for violence and looting were circulating online. “We will be uncompromising with rioters, looters and all those who commit acts of violence,” he told reporters on Friday.
The previous Saturday’s largely peaceful protests were marked by looting, vandalism and clashes. Official figures cited by Al Jazeera said more than 2,000 people were taken into police custody. AFP reported that courts had sent 217 people to prison over the events, according to Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin.
Security measures and limits on demonstrations have prompted criticism. Amnesty International called the restrictions “a slide toward authoritarian practice” and said they jeopardised the right to demonstrate peacefully, AFP reported.
Eva Cosse, a senior Europe researcher at Human Rights Watch, said police had a duty both to protect the public from violent disorder and to ensure peaceful protests could take place safely. She also expressed alarm over reports of children being severely injured by crowd-control weapons, AFP reported.
Students have continued to press for action. After meeting President Emmanuel Macron on Friday, pupil representatives called for further protests until the government presented concrete proposals. Student representative Nathanael Combary said they were still waiting for those proposals at a meeting with the prime minister on Monday, according to Deutsche Welle.
Saturday’s nationwide deployment included about 70,000 security personnel, AFP reported.
Source: aljazeera.com
