France will deploy nearly 70,000 police across the country as it prepares for fresh protests on Saturday after some of the worst urban violence in years erupted during protests a week ago. Protests by high school students demanding better learning conditions sparked a movement that later spread nationwide, fueled by broader dissatisfaction with the rising cost of living.
About 70,000 members of the security forces will be deployed on Saturday, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said at a press conference in Paris, warning that calls for violence and looting are circulating on social media. Protests this weekend will also take place in Albania, where students have been demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama and his government for days.
The protests come at a critical time for France, six months before an election to replace President Emmanuel Macron. A new poll puts far-right candidate Marine Le Pen as the front-runner, showing her position has been strengthened by recent developments.
Tensions have also increased as Le Pen is set to hold a congress of her party, the National Rally (RN), in Orleans this weekend. Thousands of supporters are expected to attend, with local authorities fearing clashes as counter-protesters also gather in the city south of Paris.
Macron met with representatives of high school students on Friday, but after the talks, the latter called on the students to continue the protests until the French government presents concrete proposals to address their demands.
Macron's government has tried to distinguish between the protesters' legitimate demands and the looting, burning and destruction that erupted in protests over the past weekend.
Courts have already remanded 217 people in custody over last Saturday's events, half of whom had no criminal record, Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin said.
On Thursday, Macron called for "the greatest severity" against "criminal acts", accusing "far-left" groups of last weekend of aiming to "overthrow the republic".
A far-left group in western France published on its website a call for supporters to "not get caught by the police, be unpredictable and avoid the deployed police".
Authorities have increased security measures and imposed restrictions on protests.
In Orleans, 20,000 to 30,000 people are expected to oppose Le Pen's rally, but authorities have banned protesters from gathering in the city center.
In the center of Lyon, authorities have also imposed a ban on protesters this weekend. In Paris, meanwhile, authorities have rejected several requests for protesters to gather in some parts of the city.
Authorities in Marseille have also banned the organization of protests, but on Friday authorities said that workers' associations would be allowed to protest in the southern part of the city.
Restrictions and bans on organizing protests in some cities have prompted criticism.
Human rights organization Amnesty International condemned what it called a "slide towards authoritarian practices," saying the measures were "risking the right to protest peacefully."
Around 20 percent more security forces will be deployed this weekend, following questions about French police preparedness and intelligence gathering before the outbreak of violence last week.
“Police have a responsibility both to ensure that protests take place peacefully and safely, and to protect the public from violent unrest,” said Eva Cosse, senior Europe researcher at Human Rights Watch.
She expressed concern about reports that children have been seriously injured by weapons used for crowd control during recent rallies.
The violence has damaged France's image ahead of elections that could mark a turning point in its modern history, while the government's huge debt is also worrying investors.
A new poll conducted by Harris Interactive for M6/RTL after the violence erupted showed Le Pen leading convincingly, with 33-35 percent of support in the first round of the presidential election. The poll predicted that the leader of the radical left, Jean-Luc Melenchon, would face her in a runoff, where Le Pen would easily win, securing around 70 percent of the vote./REL
