France will deploy 70,000 police at nationwide protests today, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said yesterday, looking to prevent a repeat of the violence and looting that shocked the country last weekend.
Elite security teams and heavily armed mobile squads will be mobilised alongside regular units in a show of force aimed at dispelling fears the government has lost control of the streets.
“We will be uncompromising with rioters, looters and all those who commit acts of violence,” Nunez told reporters, adding that ‘ultra-left’ groups had been urging activists online to target public buildings and unleash more lawlessness.
“We are not talking about a nice, friendly demonstration,” Nunez said.
“We are ready for tomorrow. We will be extremely vigilant, extremely firm, and we will let absolutely nothing pass.”
Anger over living costs and strained public services has drawn students, workers and unions onto the streets in recent weeks, but authorities say radical militants and bands of young looters have taken advantage of the dispute to sow chaos.
Some far-right politicians have blamed migrants and radical Islam for the turmoil. President Emmanuel Macron has dismissed such accusations.
Ratcheting up the tensions, a man, who officials suspect was motivated by Islamophobic hatred, opened fire from a car west of Paris yesterday, killing one person and wounding four others, including a 12-year-old girl.
“(It was) objectively a racist attack,” said local mayor Ali Rabeh, blaming far-right rhetoric for inflaming tensions.
Many French cities beyond Paris have also banned protests but the second largest city, Marseille, rescinded an earlier restriction order and said it would allow a union demonstration.
Nunez said 10,000 more police would be on the streets than a week ago, while mounted police, helicopters, drones and anti-drone systems would be deployed across the country.
Armoured vehicles and water cannon vehicles would also be available, while curfews imposed in some sensitive areas this past week would remain in force.
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