The French government announced that it had arrested 135 people across the country by early afternoon this Saturday (24), amid a major operation to contain violence in protests that were called across the country.
According to Interior Minister Laurent Nunez, many of the arrests occurred after preventive searches that also resulted in the seizure of items that could be used as weapons. Among them, metal balls, pellets, fireworks, slingshots, steel bullets, improvised weapons, a katana and airsoft weapons.
A day earlier, at a press conference, he announced a reinforced security scheme, with 70,000 police officers and special agents mobilized to contain possible episodes of violence, looting and depredations like those that occurred a week ago.
"We have to be extremely agile. We have received many requests for interruption from political groups and, quite simply, from criminals. It's going to be a long day," he told reporters.
Until early Saturday afternoon, only a small disturbance was recorded in the city of Lyon. Police fired several tear gas shells to disperse a group protesting near a university college and the city's police station when demonstrators tried to block the street.
The main museums in Paris closed this Saturday (24) due to the forecast of new demonstrations. The Louvre, the Musée d'Orsay, the Picasso Museum and the Grand Palais — where an important Cézanne exhibition is on display —, among others, decided to close to tourists. Art Basel, one of the most prestigious contemporary art fairs in the world, canceled part of its program and opened to the public only this Friday (23).
A week ago, around 3,000 stores across France were damaged or looted. In recent days, with the call for new demonstrations this Saturday, traders have barricaded their stores.
Demonstrations against the high cost of living have already brought together more than 500,000 people, according to estimates from the country's press. They were accompanied by police repression and around 1,800 people were arrested last Saturday (17).
On Thursday (22), President Emmanuel Macron recommended that the population not participate in demonstrations in the coming days. He stated, after a meeting of the French Security Council, that only acts organized by unions would be authorized this Saturday. The decision provoked a reaction from left-wing parties. Seven parties appealed to the Council of State, the highest instance of French administrative justice, to contest the president's statements.
The Minister of the Interior, Laurent Nuñez, announced last Friday (23) that 70 thousand police officers and special agents will be mobilized across the country. The number of personnel is around 15% greater than that employed in the previous week, when 60,000 members of the security forces were deployed. According to Nuñez, authorities identified calls for violent acts and looting on social media. The security scheme will feature specialized units, armored vehicles and equipment to disperse crowds. The government also asked digital platforms, such as Meta, Snap and TikTok, to maintain heightened surveillance over the weekend.
Authorities authorized acts in at least eight large cities, according to an AFP survey. The rules, however, vary from municipality to municipality. In Paris, the police had approved a route between Bastille and Nation squares, organized by unions. The demonstration by student groups and members of the yellow vests, between the Bastille and the Paris Opera, was prohibited. On Friday, a union coalition stated that the police had ordered a change in the route, which would now connect Porte de Vincennes to Porte d'Italie. Karl Ghazi, one of the association's directors, criticized the change and stated that the new route makes control difficult.
In Marseille, the second largest in the country, a union protest was authorized exceptionally, after local authorities had banned demonstrations in the city. In Lyon, the city hall banned acts in central areas between 10am and 11pm, including commercial areas and places where important public buildings are located. The measure was adopted after more than 150 stores were vandalized and some looted in the city. The local tourist office was also set on fire during the violence. In Bordeaux, unions intend to challenge the ban on protests in court. In Strasbourg and Mulhouse, events can only take place in areas close to the historic center.
The city of Orléans is also expected to gather demonstrations this weekend. The municipality hosts a congress of the far-right National Regroupment (RN) party, run by presidential candidate Marine Le Pen, scheduled for Saturday and Sunday (25). The government estimates that between 20,000 and 30,000 people from different regions of France will participate in acts against the party on Saturday. The congress schedule foresees around 5 thousand participants on the first day and 10 thousand on Sunday. The route of the demonstration was changed on Friday. The protest, which would initially pass through the city center, will begin in the morning in the north of Orléans. The governor of the state of Loiret, Hugues Moutouh, banned demonstrations on Sunday for security reasons. Around 3,000 agents are expected to be mobilized to monitor the weekend's events.
The security measures also led to changes in France's cultural and sporting programming. In Paris, museums such as the Louvre, the Musée d'Orsay, the Grand Palais, the Petit Palais and the Picasso Museum will be closed this Saturday, according to the French Ministry of Culture. The Paris Opera will also suspend activities. The international contemporary art fair Art Basel has canceled its opening scheduled for Saturday and Sunday. In football, the match between Paris Saint-Germain and Lyon, from the French championship, was rescheduled from Sunday to Monday at the request of the Paris police. Other games also had date or time changes due to the demonstrations.
