France Mobilizes Police Force Ahead of Weekend Protests

French authorities are preparing for major demonstrations across the country, a week after unrest resulted in widespread looting and property damage. Citizens are set to march regarding rising living expenses and educational funding, with police preparing a significant security operation to manage the expected turnout.

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez stated that up to 70,000 officers would be mobilized nationwide. This deployment will be supported by armored vehicles, water cannons, and helicopters. In central Paris, personnel were stationed beneath the Arc de Triomphe and along adjacent avenues. Authorities modified the planned march route for Saturday, shifting the procession to the city's southeastern perimeter between Porte d'Italie and Porte de Vincennes, instead of the originally planned path from Bastille to Nation.

The movement initially began last month concerning staff shortages at a single high school southeast of Paris but has expanded to encompass broader economic and social demands. Students are seeking increased staffing, improved facilities, and greater university capacity, while unions are advocating for wage and pension adjustments to assist households with daily costs. Student organizations have outlined a ten-point proposal, requesting 250,000 additional higher education places and the removal of selection via the Parcoursup system. The plan also seeks an additional 200 euros per month in student grants and a rent freeze for public student housing.

Cultural institutions and businesses are facing disruption. The Louvre, Musée d'Orsay, Picasso Museum, and Grand Palais are closed for the day. Art Basel, which opened to the public on Friday for a single day, cancelled its weekend programming due to the threat of unrest. Shopkeepers have been barricading premises throughout the week to prevent damage; approximately 3,000 shops were damaged or looted in the previous weekend's events.

Authorities have banned some marches, including those in Lyon, Nice, and Montpellier, though demonstrations remain scheduled in Paris and Marseille. Unions have criticized these prohibitions as restrictions on freedom of expression. In Lyon, police deployed tear gas on Saturday morning. Outside the capital, French media reported that two individuals suspected of involvement in the fire that nearly destroyed the 19th-century city hall in Limoges have been placed under formal investigation and held pending trial.

President Emmanuel Macron faces this situation during the final stretch of his term, with his popularity at its lowest since taking office in 2017. He has stated that protective measures are necessary for city centres, businesses, and public buildings. In Orléans, south of Paris, thousands gathered for an anti-far-right protest held alongside a congress of Marine Le Pen's nationalist party, ahead of next spring's presidential election.