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France’s interior minister warned Thursday of a “very high risk of public disorder” ahead of fresh nationwide protests this weekend, announcing that about 70,000 police officers and gendarmes will be deployed across the country.
Laurent Nunez told reporters that October 31 “presents a very high risk of public disorder.” The Yellow Vest movement and student unions have called for a new day of demonstrations on Saturday. The deployment matches the number of officers mobilized a week earlier, and the security measures introduced then to protect shops will be reinforced, Nunez said.
Demonstrations will be permitted, Nunez said, but “not in city centres, where there is a risk of public disorder.” He pledged an “extremely firm” response and said authorities “will tolerate no excesses.”
The minister also said authorities had spotted social media calls for Halloween gatherings on Saturday evening that urge a “revolution.” He said the appeals were being circulated by radical left groups and some radicalized Yellow Vest activists. “These gatherings will be banned,” he said.
France has been shaken by anger over the rising cost of living and inequality. Nationwide demonstrations on October 17 degenerated into some of the country’s worst rioting in years, with clashes, large-scale looting and vandalism of public property.
Authorities have acknowledged security and intelligence failures that allowed the violence to escalate. Last weekend’s rallies were largely peaceful, though incidents of street violence still occurred.
The unrest followed weeks of student demonstrations demanding better learning conditions. The police response has been criticized as heavy-handed and has fueled a broader movement against the cost of living and police violence. Several teenage protesters have been seriously injured.
On Monday, the government announced measures meant to address the students’ demands, including replacing the university admissions platform and providing loans for school renovations. Students said the proposals did not go far enough.
Representatives of youth organizations met Nunez on Thursday but left disappointed. Manon Moret, secretary-general of the student union Unef, said the group went to discuss its demands and, above all, “the last four weeks of mobilisation, which have been marked by unprecedented police violence.” She described the meeting as a “dialogue of the deaf.”
Some attendees accused the minister of refusing to acknowledge violence committed against protesters. Louis Letoublon, deputy head of the association Les Lyceens!, denounced “an irresponsible minister, incapable of answering for police repression.”
The protests come as France’s political atmosphere grows increasingly tense, with presidential elections six months away and far-right leader Marine Le Pen leading opinion polls.
The Yellow Vest movement first emerged in late 2018, initially over fuel tax increases, and became known for its weekend demonstrations across France.
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