France Deploys 70,000 Police as Nationwide Protests Approach; Louvre and Major Museums to Close

France will deploy approximately 70,000 police officers and gendarmes across the country on Saturday as authorities prepare for another major day of demonstrations following last weekend’s riots and looting.

The security operation will include riot police, elite units, helicopters, armoured vehicles and water cannon, while controls are planned at railway stations and major transport routes.

French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said authorities are preparing for possible renewed violence and vandalism.

The Interior Ministry has instructed prefects to assess protest routes, the reliability of organisers and risks to shops and public buildings before allowing demonstrations to proceed.

Prefects have also been instructed to establish controls on transport routes and at stations to identify people carrying objects that could be used during violent disorder.

Demonstrations are planned in Paris, Marseille and other cities, bringing together students, trade union supporters, Yellow Vest activists and others protesting against living costs, public services and government policy.

Some demonstrations have been prohibited in areas where authorities say there is a significant risk of renewed disorder.

The unusually large security operation follows demonstrations on 17 October that developed into serious disturbances in several French cities.

Shops were looted, vehicles and buildings were set on fire, public buildings were attacked and police clashed with groups of demonstrators and rioters.

French authorities later acknowledged that the scale of the disorder had been underestimated.

Le Monde reported that Interior Ministry intelligence had initially anticipated considerably fewer participants than eventually appeared. The Interior Ministry subsequently put nationwide turnout on 17 October at approximately 550,000.

Thousands of people have been detained during the wider period of unrest, while both police officers and demonstrators have suffered injuries.

The events have also had a substantial effect on Paris’s cultural institutions and tourism industry.

The Louvre, Musée d’Orsay, Picasso Museum and Grand Palais are among major institutions expected to close on Saturday because of the demonstrations and security situation.

Art Basel Paris, one of the international art world’s major fairs, opened at the Grand Palais on Friday but its official programme now states that the fair will be closed on both Saturday 24 October and Sunday 25 October.

The fair brought together 211 exhibitors from 41 countries and territories.

The French Interior Ministry says protests will continue to be permitted where organisers and routes can meet security requirements, but authorities may prohibit gatherings considered likely to result in serious public disorder.

The government’s response has generated a parallel debate over civil liberties, police tactics and the right to demonstrate. Critics argue that bans and curfews risk restricting peaceful protest, while the government says stronger measures are necessary following the scale of last weekend’s violence.

Saturday will therefore be a significant test of whether French authorities can separate large-scale peaceful demonstrations from groups intent on violence without producing another round of widespread disorder.

STATUS: DEVELOPING. The demonstrations are scheduled for Saturday, 24 October. Approximately 70,000 security personnel are being deployed nationwide.

SOURCES: