France mobilizes 70 thousand agents for protests; agency denounces police aggression against journalists

The French government announced this Friday (6) the mobilization of 70,000 police and security forces across the country to contain possible disturbances during a new day of protests scheduled for Saturday (7).

The demonstrations were called by unions, student organizations and youth groups, as well as members of the Yellow Vest movement amid the mobilization against the cost of living and social demands. The Prime Minister announced that he will talk to the students on Monday (9).

The security scheme will be maintained along the same lines as operations carried out in recent weeks, but authorities are concerned about the possibility of clashes and acts of vandalism.

According to the Minister of the Interior, Laurent Nuñez, there are fewer demonstrations organized by representative unions than in the mobilization on Thursday (5). On the other hand, calls for events without clearly identified organizers circulate on social media, a situation that, according to him, increases the risk of violence.

At a press conference in Paris, Nuñez stated that calls for violence against security forces, public buildings and commercial establishments had been detected, as well as incitements to looting, roadblocks and even insurrection.

The minister also mentioned demonstrations by ultra-left and radical left groups. “Therefore, the risk is exactly the same as previous Saturdays,” he said.

To guarantee security, the government will mobilize 70,000 agents, 25 Centaure armored vehicles and 15 water jet launching vehicles, in addition to drones and helicopters. Reinforced controls are also planned on highways, railways and train stations.

Local authorities also ordered a ban on demonstrations in certain urban centers. According to the minister, the central areas of cities will be protected by security forces.

The police reinforcement comes after a series of episodes of violence recorded in recent weeks. On Saturday, October 17, demonstrations ended in turmoil, with looting, vandalism and clashes in several French cities. At the time, 60,000 police officers were mobilized.

On Thursday (5), the demonstrations generally took place without major incidents, although clashes were reported in some cities. Unions estimated participation at more than 1.5 million people across the country. The Ministry of the Interior, in turn, counted 575 thousand protesters, of which 65 thousand were in Paris. According to Nuñez, 642 people were detained during the acts.

French Prime Minister, Sébastien Lecornu, announced that he will receive representatives of high school and university students next Monday (9), in Paris. The meeting, scheduled for 3:30 pm, will be a first round of conversations about the movement's demands, which has already lasted six weeks.

Among the measures announced by the government to respond to the demands are the creation of vacancies for teachers, the cancellation of previously planned job cuts, the limit of 28 students per class in the second year of secondary education, the review of the continuous assessment system for the "baccalauréat" —exam that ends French secondary education— and the opening of 15 thousand new places in higher education.

AFP denounces police attacks against journalists

Amid tension on the streets, the management of Agence France-Presse (AFP) denounced this Friday the violence committed by members of the security forces against journalists who were covering student demonstrations and protests against the increase in the cost of living in recent weeks.

The agency reported that several professionals were hit by batons and even rubber bullets, despite being identified as journalists.

The most recent case occurred on Thursday (5), when an AFP photographer, who was wearing a press armband, was hit during a police attack on a procession of protesters. He received five baton blows: three to the helmet and two to the lower part of one of his legs. The journalist suffered a fracture in his fibula, the leg bone located between the knee and ankle.

On October 17, another journalist from the agency was hit in the thigh by a rubber bullet during a demonstration in Lille, in northern France. On the same date, a video journalist was deliberately hit by a water jet fired by police in Paris.

She was accompanied by professionals from other media outlets, all identified as members of the press. The next day, he also received a baton blow.

In a statement, the AFP management acknowledged the difficult conditions faced by security forces during operations, but considered it essential that the identification of press professionals be taken into consideration by police officers.

The agency asked that all necessary precautions be adopted to preserve the physical integrity of journalists and allow them to carry out their work. He also highlighted that the possibility of observing, photographing and filming demonstrations and police operations is an essential part of the mission to inform the public.

Reports of attacks are not limited to the AFP. Journalists' unions and organizations defending press freedom have also been warning of violence against professionals who follow the protests.

The organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF) reported having recorded 58 cases of impediment or violence against journalists during coverage of the mobilizations, not including the episodes recorded on Thursday.

Of this total, 40 involved members of the security forces, and 18 were attributed to protesters or third parties. The entity also identified 35 cases of physical violence, of which 21 were allegedly committed by security force agents.

Also this Friday, a reporter from Politis magazine and a photographer from the Divergences collective announced, through their lawyer, that they will file charges against police officers. The two claim they were attacked while covering Thursday's demonstration in Paris.