The key facts

  • Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said around 70,000 police officers and gendarmes will be deployed on Saturday
  • The Louvre, Musée d'Orsay, Picasso Museum and Grand Palais will close for the day; Art Basel cancelled its weekend program
  • In Orléans, about 50 organizations plan a protest against the far right near the congress of Marine Le Pen's party, with 20,000–30,000 people expected

Massive security operation

Around 70,000 police officers and gendarmes will be on duty across France on Saturday, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez announced at a press conference. Helicopters, armored vehicles and water cannons will be deployed, and elite units in a 'highly mobile' mode will guard public buildings, including city halls. Nuñez said social media had seen calls from radical far-left groups for violence, vandalism and looting, and pledged to be 'absolutely uncompromising' toward rioters, warning of a 'very tough approach to arrests' and legal consequences.

Protests and restrictions

Demonstrators intend to take to the streets in protest against the cost-of-living crisis; they will be joined by students continuing to protest against what they see as unsatisfactory conditions in schools, members of the CGT union, and activists of the 'yellow vests' movement. In several cities, including Lyon, Nice and Montpellier, some protests are banned on security grounds, but marches are expected in Paris and Marseille, among other places. Authorities have redirected some routes away from shopping streets and public buildings to limit damage.

Museum closures and Art Basel

Paris's largest museums — the Louvre, the Musée d'Orsay, the Picasso Museum and the Grand Palais — will close on Saturday. The international contemporary art fair Art Basel opened to the public on Friday, but for one day only: organizers cancelled the weekend program due to the threat of unrest. In a statement on Thursday, they noted that the decision was not easy and that the safety of all participants remains the top priority.

Businesses on alert

The manager of a supermarket in central Paris that was looted last weekend told Euronews on condition of anonymity that the entire team is on edge. The store will open in the morning, and he will assess the situation later. According to him, last time protesters broke through the metal shutters in about a minute and a half, as well as the electronic door: 'Unless you install bank-level protection, it is impossible to stop them. Last weekend they came in huge groups, used bricks, it was incredibly violent.' On Saturday, overstretched police were unable to intervene; the next day forces arrived and pushed back gangs of teenagers. 'Honestly, I haven't had a proper rest for about 13 days. Everyone on the team is at their limit, the tension is palpable,' he added.

Anti-fascist protest in Orléans

In Orléans, south of Paris, about 50 organizations — trade unions, left-wing parties, student and anti-racist groups — 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. The prefect of the Loiret region, Hugues Moutouh, said between 20,000 and 30,000 demonstrators from across the country are expected. Le Pen, whom polls name as the favorite in the election, accused left-wing organizations and parties of trying to 'disrupt the democratic congress of a political party' on FranceInfo's airwaves, but said she 'has no fears' for security, since the government 'has recognized the need for measures allowing the congress to take place safely.'