France's interior minister on Thursday warned of a "very high risk of public disorder" and announced the deployment of around 70,000 police officers for a new wave of protests this weekend. France has been rocked by widespread anger over the rising cost of living and inequality, with nationwide demonstrations on October 17 degenerating into some of the country's worst rioting in years. TheYellow Vest movementand student unions have called for a new day of protests on Saturday.
The demonstrations come in an increasingly tense political climate, with presidential elections six months away and far-right leader Marine Le Pen leading opinion polls. Read moreFrench far-right leader Le Pen seeks to leverage unrest in presidential campaign kick-off "The day of October 31 presents a very high risk of public disorder," Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez told reporters. Around 70,000 police officers and gendarmes will be deployed across France, matching the number mobilised a week ago, he said.
The security measures introduced last week to protect shops will be strengthened,Nuñez added. Demonstrations will be allowed, but "not in city centres, where there is a risk of public disorder", he said. "We will tolerate no excesses," he added, pledging an "extremely firm" response.
Nunez also said that authorities had detected social media calls for Halloween gatherings on Saturday evening calling for a "revolution". He said those appeals were being circulated by radical left groups and some radicalised Yellow Vest activists. Authorities have admitted to security and intelligence failures that paved the way for the clashes, large-scale looting and vandalism of public property that erupted on October 17.
Read moreFrance faces reckoning with public order policing after violent protest weekend Although last weekend's rallies were largely peaceful, incidents of street violence still occurred. The unrest followed weeks of demonstrations by students campaigning for better learning conditions. On Monday, the government announced a series of measures aimed at addressing student protesters' demands, including replacing the university admissions platform and providing loans for school renovations.
The police response has been criticised as heavy-handed and sparked a broader movement against the cost of living and police violence. Several teenage protesters have been seriously injured. On Thursday, representatives of youth organisations met Nuñez but emerged disappointed.
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