Protests in France begin under tight security

Protesters gathered in Paris and cities across France this Saturday (24), under the surveillance of 70,000 police officers, as the government tried to avoid a repeat of the riots and looting that shook the country last weekend.

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said 135 people had been arrested across the country by early afternoon, many following preventative searches that found fireworks, ball bearings and other objects that could be used as weapons.

"We have to be extremely agile. We receive many warnings about disorder, both from political groups and, simply, from criminals," he told journalists. “It’s going to be a long day.”

While the start of the main march in Paris went peacefully, police used tear gas against crowds in Lyon, France's third largest city.

The government mobilized 10,000 more police than on October 17, the day protests over the cost of living and deteriorating public services turned into some of the worst riots France has seen in years.

Much of central Paris looked like a city in lockdown, with shopkeepers boarding up their windows, museums with their doors closed and more than 20 metro stations closed.

Business groups called on retailers to remain closed after thousands of stores and businesses were damaged or looted across France last weekend.

“There are hardly any customers, so it’s not worth staying open,” said Oskar, manager of a Kiton boutique in Paris.

Several of the capital's best-known cultural centers, including the Louvre, the Musée d'Orsay and the Paris Opera, have closed as a precaution, leaving tourists frustrated.

“Everything is boarded up and we don’t really know where to go,” said Xavier Dolliole, a tourist from the North American city of New Orleans.

The route of the main demonstration in Paris was only defined after a legal battle, triggered by a last-minute police order, which moved organizers away from the city center towards the southeastern regions of the capital. Police argued that the original route passed through areas with a high concentration of businesses similar to those attacked the previous weekend. Left-wing leaders said the late change was aimed at causing confusion and alienating people.

“Once again, those in power create disruptions to the marches and impossible deadlines for organizations to reorganize,” said radical left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who joined protesters on the streets of Paris.

Many protesters accused the government of overreacting, with soldiers sent to patrol the Champs-Élysées. “We cry for the stores, not for the people who are impoverished all year round,” said Clara Lebbadi, a 22-year-old art student.

“My friend and I almost didn't come because we were scared, but we came precisely because it's important not to let repression win,” she added.

The first authorized march this Saturday took place peacefully in Orléans, about 120 kilometers south of Paris, where demonstrators protested against Marine Le Pen's National Regroupment, which was holding a party congress in the city.

Tensions increased after gunshots on Friday (23), west of Paris, when a gunman, suspected of acting out of Islamophobic hatred, killed one person and injured four more, including a 12-year-old girl.

“We came to tell the far right, face to face, that we are not afraid,” said Bally Bagayoko, mayor of Saint-Denis and member of the radical left France Insubmissa (LFI) party.