The key facts
- 70,000 law enforcement officers are on duty in France on Saturday — the same number as last week
- The ban on protests in city centres has been extended due to the October 17 riots
- About 3,000 businesses have suffered since the protest movement began in mid-September
Police prepare for the 'night of darkness'
France's Interior Minister Laurent Nunez has warned that police will pursue masked protesters, as new demonstrations are expected on Saturday, which coincides with Halloween. According to him, this time the protests are expected to stretch later into the evening: calls are circulating on social media to gather in squares at around 8:00 p.m. local time, and among these calls the following phrases appear 'night of darkness', 'out of the shadows' and 'revolution', which have raised concern among law enforcement agencies.
Masks and bans
Nunez stressed that he understands people will be 'wearing costumes' because of the holiday, but wearing face coverings on the street has been banned in France since 2010, and concealing one's face during a violent protest is punishable by a year in prison and a fine of 15,000 euros. 'Halloween night will not be a legal justification for covering your face in a public place with the aim of disrupting public order — let that be clear — and we have given the appropriate instructions to all our personnel,' the minister said at a press conference. A total of 70,000 law enforcement officers will be deployed across the country — the same number as last week, when the protests were more restrained than the violent clashes and looting of October 17. The authorities will once again ban protests in city centres to prevent a repeat of the large-scale riot of that day, after which many shops that lost all their goods have had to rebuild with the help of interest-free government loans.
Business awaits the end of Saturday
Alain Di Crescenzo, president of the national federation of chambers of commerce and industry CCI France, said on the France Inter radio station that Halloween 'will make the situation worse.' According to him, about 3,000 businesses have suffered damage since the protest movement began in mid-September, and the holiday heightens their anxiety. 'I'm telling you, we can't wait for this Saturday to be over,' he added.
