French police have deployed 70,000 personnel to control protests on Saturday. Laurent Nunez, the French Minister of the Interior, told the police that they must act "without leniency" against potential protesters and emphasized that this day would be a sensitive one for the police.
Tension in recent protests
In recent days, there have been scenes of looting and clashes between police and protesters that occurred on the sidelines of peaceful demonstrations. Nunez, during a visit to the National Police Academy in Vincennes, stressed the importance of "mobility, responsiveness, and adaptability" in dealing with high-risk groups and stated that the police must be "strongly accountable."
Severe criticism has been directed at Nunez for his handling of last week's protests. He announced that the number of police forces for this day would be 10,000 more than last week.
Prohibitions and reactions
The French government has also implemented local curfews in several cities such as Lyon and the city centers of Nice and Lille to control the situation and has banned public demonstrations. Emmanuel Macron has instructed local officials to prohibit Saturday's protests except for those organized by unions.
This decision has faced negative reactions from unions, leftist parties, and human rights groups, who have deemed these prohibitions as "serious restrictions on the right to protest" and warned of a "slide towards authoritarian methods."
While most protests are expected to take place in the afternoon, over 10,000 people participated in a permitted anti-right-wing demonstration in Orléans. This city is hosting Marine Le Pen's nationalist party conference this weekend. A prohibited demonstration is also anticipated on Sunday, where Le Pen will officially launch her election campaign.
Manon Aubry, a parliament member and member of the "La France Insoumise" party, stated on her social media that "the power prefers to take refuge behind armored vehicles rather than listen to the legitimate demands of citizens." This party, led by presidential candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon, has supported school protests ahead of last week's unrest but has tried to distance itself from violence.
France has also experienced tension following a deadly shooting in Trappes on Friday, which is being investigated as a hate crime. According to local officials, a 12-year-old girl was among the injured.
Macron, after visiting the scene on Friday night, said: "This is a turning point because for the first time a terrorist act has been planned to kill our fellow citizens because of the color of their skin or the religion attributed to them." His remarks were quickly met with criticism from some prominent political figures who condemned his description of this act as the "first" terrorist act motivated by racial or religious reasons.
In recent weeks, protests related to the cost of living have spread across parts of Europe, drawing similar discontent from people in Spain, Italy, and Albania to the streets.
