France deploys 70,000 security personnel to the streets ahead of nationwide protests

A large-scale security operation

France is deploying 70,000 police officers and gendarmes across the country on Saturday amid a new wave of demonstrations. The measures were announced at a press conference on Friday by Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez; the ministry published the corresponding statement on Saturday. According to the Interior Ministry, many calls to protest are being organized without formal leadership or union oversight, and calls for violence and disruption of work are being added to them on social media.

What is being deployed and where the actions will take place

The operation includes 110 mobile units, 25 Centaur armored vehicles, water cannons, helicopters and drones. Police are checking roads, railway lines and stations to seize objects that could be used as weapons. Demonstrations are banned in a number of city centers, and organizers of announced actions have been offered alternative routes. Citing Le Monde, the agency lists the planned locations: in Paris, student and union groups will march from the Place de la République to the Place de la Nation, while the 'yellow vests' movement is gathering at the Place de la Concorde. The Interior Ministry said peaceful demonstrations would be protected, but promised a 'firm response' to rioters and looters, who will be detained.

Context: student protests and the day of action on November 5

Student mobilizations have been spreading across France in recent weeks: demonstrators are blocking schools, pointing to learning conditions and resource provision. The protests became part of a nationwide day of action on November 5, when the Interior Ministry recorded 575,000 participants at 193 public actions across the country, including 65,000 in Paris. Sources provide no details on the organizers' demands or possible developments.