Laurent Nuñez Orders 70,000 Officers for Saturday Demonstrations
Paris authorities have rerouted major marches to the city's southeastern perimeter one week after unrest resulted in widespread property damage.
By Leila Reynolds ·
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez announced that up to 70,000 police officers will be deployed across France for Saturday demonstrations. This deployment follows a week of unrest that left shops looted and vehicles burned. The security operation will include support from helicopters, armored vehicles, and water cannons.
Paris police altered the planned route for the capital's march on Friday. The demonstration is now confined to the city's southeastern edge, specifically between Porte d'Italie and Porte de Vincennes. This change moves the march away from the originally intended path from Bastille to Nation. A few dozen gendarmes were positioned beneath the Arc de Triomphe and on nearby avenues in central Paris.
The current protest movement originated last month over staff shortages at a high school southeast of Paris. It has since expanded to include demands for more teachers, better school buildings, and additional university places. Trade unions are also participating, seeking higher wages and pensions to offset rising living costs. Student groups have proposed a joint 10-point plan that calls for 250,000 new higher education places and the end of the Parcoursup admissions system.
The student plan also includes an increase of 200 euros, approximately 313 Canadian dollars, in monthly student grants. It further demands a rent freeze in public student housing. Organizers expect a large turnout on Saturday, building on the attendance of more than half a million people during last week's protests.
Businesses and cultural venues are adjusting to the threat of unrest. The Louvre, Musée d'Orsay, Picasso Museum, and Grand Palais will be closed on Saturday. Art Basel opened to the public for a single day on Friday but cancelled its weekend program. Shopkeepers have been barricading their stores throughout the week. Contractor Akram Ahmed, 34, boarded up an optician's shop near Saint-Lazare station. He stated that he received the call the previous night and that the owner told him he was saving his life.
Local authorities have banned marches in several cities, including 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 freedom of expression. Approximately 3,000 shops across France were damaged or looted during the previous weekend's unrest.
Outside Paris, investigations are underway regarding specific incidents. Two suspects in the fire that nearly destroyed the 19th-century city hall in Limoges are under formal investigation and held pending trial. The probe includes charges of attempted murder of a public official. Paris police prefect Patrice Faure urged shopkeepers to hire security guards but later clarified that protecting businesses is the government's responsibility.
President Emmanuel Macron faces this crisis in the final stretch of his term, with popularity at its lowest since 2017. He stated that the 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. Victoria Ambrosini, an art critic at Saint-Denis University, noted that money is concentrated in the hands of very few people, adding that it is no longer possible.
