France has deployed 70,000 police officers ahead of nationwide protests on Saturday to prevent a repeat of the violence and looting that shook the country last weekend, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said on Friday.
The deployment includes regular police units, elite security teams and heavily armed mobile squads, in what authorities describe as a show of force to reassure the public that the government remains in control of the streets.
“We will be uncompromising with rioters, looters and anyone involved in violence,” Nuñez told reporters. He also accused far-left groups of encouraging attacks on public buildings and seeking to spread further disorder through online messages targeting government employees.
“We are not talking about a nice, friendly demonstration,” the minister said, adding that authorities would remain highly vigilant and adopt a firm approach.
Anger over the rising cost of living and pressure on public services has brought students, workers and trade unions onto the streets in recent weeks. Authorities, however, have warned that radical groups and young looters could exploit the unrest to fuel further disorder.
Some far-right politicians have blamed immigration and radical Islam for the instability, allegations rejected by President Emmanuel Macron.
Tensions escalated further on Friday when a gunman opened fire from a vehicle west of Paris, killing one person and injuring four others, including a 12-year-old girl. Investigators suspect the attack may have been motivated by anti-Muslim or other religiously charged hatred, according to local reports.
Local mayor Ali Rabeh described the incident as a racist attack and blamed far-right rhetoric for contributing to the tensions.
Police have authorised only one trade union demonstration in Paris on Saturday. Requests for rallies by the country’s main student organisation, UNEF, and the Yellow Vest movement, which emerged in 2018, have been rejected.
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