Some 70,000 law enforcement officers are set be deployed across France on Saturday, while the Louvre and several other major Paris museums will be closed as authorities seek to prevent renewed violence during protests.
Last weekend, peaceful demonstrations were overshadowed by violence and unrest which erupted across the country. Masked individuals looted shops and intimidated their owners, stormed public buildings, smashed shop windows, and clashed with police forces.
Demonstrators plan to take to the streets on Saturday to denounce the cost of living crisis, while students are still protesting against what they view as inadequate school conditions. Students, members of the CGT labor union and activists from the “ yellow vest ” movement are set to join.
While some protests have been banned for security reasons in several cities, including Lyon, Nice and Montpellier, marches are expected in many other places including in Paris and Marseille. Authorities have also diverted some protest routes away from shopping streets and public buildings to limit damage.
Landmark museums closed on Saturday
French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said some 70,000 police officers and gendarmes would be deployed, along with helicopters, armoured vehicles and water cannons. In addition, elite police units will help secure public buildings like city halls in a “highly mobile” security operation, he said.
“There have been numerous calls from radical far-left groups on social media to commit acts of violence and vandalism. There have also been renewed calls for looting, with those messages clearly being spread by rioters," Nuñez said at a news conference.
“We will be absolutely uncompromising" with those involved in violence, he added, warning that police will have a “very firm approach to making arrests, and there will be legal consequences.”
Landmark Paris sites including the Louvre, the Musée d'Orsay, the Picasso museum, along with the Grand Palais will close their doors on Saturday.
Art Basel, one of the world's most prestigious contemporary art fairs, opened to the public Friday — but only for the day, with the threat of unrest prompting organisers to cancel the weekend program.
"This decision has not been taken lightly, and the safety of everyone involved in the fair remains our utmost priority," organisers said in a statement Thursday.
Businesses on edge ahead of protests
The manager of a supermarket in central Paris, which was looted last weekend told Euronews on condition of anonymity that his entire team remained on edge ahead of Saturday's protests, despite bolstered security measures.
He said that his shop would remain open during the morning and that he would "assess the situation" later in the day.
"We have a metal shutter and we've added some plywood, but we know that these metal shutters took about a minute and a half for protestors to break through. The same goes for our electronic door. So, unless we implement security like banks have, there's really no way to stop them. Last weekend they arrived in huge groups, used bricks, it was incredibly violent."
When teenagers ransacked his supermarket last Saturday, overwhelmed police forces were unable to intervene. The next day, when the looting resumed, law enforcement made it to the scene, pushing back gangs of violent teenagers.
Many of the staff remain traumatised, "we've worked so hard to ensure we managed to clean and restock. But, frankly, I haven't had a proper rest in about 13 days. Everyone on our team
"Frankly, I haven't had a proper rest in about 13 days. We're all under a lot of pressure. Everyone on our team is feeling it. There's a palpable tension, and we're trying to manage it, but to keep everyone calm and prevent any major incidents from occurring. Unfortunately, there's a risk that something bad will happen, and we need to prevent that from happening."
Anti far-right protest planned
A demonstration in the city of Orléans, located south of Paris, will also take place on Saturday.
About 50 organisations have called for a protest against the far right on the sidelines of the two-day congress of Marine Le Pen’s nationalist, anti-immigration party ahead of next spring’s presidential election. Organisers include labor unions, left-wing political parties, student organisations and anti-racism groups.
Hugues Moutouh, the prefect of the Loiret region, said that 20,000 to 30,000 demonstrators from across the country were expected.
Le Pen, whom opinion polls place as the front-runner in next year’s election, accused left-wing organisations and political parties of trying to “disrupt a political party’s democratic congress,” on public news broadcaster FranceInfo.
Still, she said she had “no concerns” about security because the government had “recognised the need for measures allowing the congress to proceed safely.”