France deploys 70,000 officers as protests return

Museums close and businesses reinforce security amid fears of renewed violence, as demonstrations over education funding and living costs spread nationwide.

France deployed a major security operation on Saturday as demonstrations returned across the country following a weekend of violence, looting and arson. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said up to 70,000 officers would be deployed nationwide, supported by helicopters, armoured vehicles and water cannons, as authorities sought to prevent a repeat of the previous weekend’s unrest. More than 500,000 people had taken to the streets the week before, according to the Associated Press.

The security measures have disrupted cultural activities and businesses, particularly in Paris. The Louvre, Orsay Museum, Picasso Museum and Grand Palais were closed on Saturday, while organisers of Art Basel Paris cancelled the event’s weekend programme after opening to the public for one day. Shopkeepers across the capital reinforced their premises with wooden panels and other barriers. Around 3,000 shops were damaged or looted during the previous weekend’s unrest, according to the AP report.

Authorities allowed marches in Paris and Marseille but banned demonstrations in several other cities, including Lyon, Nice and Montpellier. The restrictions drew criticism from trade unions, which argued that the measures infringed freedom of expression. In Limoges, two suspects linked to a fire that nearly destroyed the city’s 19th-century town hall were placed under formal investigation and held pending trial, French media reported. Police also redirected the Paris march away from neighbourhoods affected by the earlier violence.

The protests initially emerged from student anger over staff shortages and underfunded schools, particularly in lower-income communities. They subsequently broadened into demonstrations over rising living costs, economic inequality and university admissions. The unrest has intensified pressure on President Emmanuel Macron as France approaches next spring’s presidential election. Meanwhile, thousands gathered in Orléans for an anti-far-right demonstration alongside a congress of Marine Le Pen’s National Rally party. The government’s response now faces a difficult balance: preventing further violence while preserving the right to peaceful protest.

Sources: Associated Press: Paris shuts museums and police deploy in big numbers for new protests across France, CBS News: Paris museums close, stores put up barricades as France prepares for more protests, RBC-Ukraine: France deploys 70,000 police officers amid protests, UNB: Louvre and other Paris museums to close as France deploys 70,000 officers.