France said it will deploy up to 70,000 police officers nationwide on Saturday to help prevent violence during protests linked to school funding and living costs.
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France deployed thousands of police on Saturday for fresh protests over school funding and soaring living costs, seeking to prevent another weekend of looting, burned cars and attacks on public buildings.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said up to 70,000 officers would be deployed nationwide, backed by helicopters, armored vehicles and water cannons.
In Paris, authorities restricted the main march to the city’s southeastern edge to keep it away from the centre. Thousands of people were also marching Saturday afternoon in Orléans, about 110 kilometres (70 miles) south of Paris, in a separate protest against the far right.
The demonstrations began last month over staff shortages at one high school southeast of Paris and have broadened into a national movement. Students have demanded better schools and workers have pushed for higher wages and pensions.
Macron met high school representatives on Friday. Students said he promised to overhaul university admissions, but they called for protests to continue until concrete measures are announced.
Paris authorities closed major landmarks and shuttered museums ahead of Saturday’s protests, including the Louvre, Orsay Museum, Picasso Museum and the Grand Palais, where a major Cézanne exhibit was on display. Art Basel opened to the public on Friday only for the day, with organizers cancelling the weekend program because of unrest concerns.
Some protests were also banned. In Paris, police changed the route on Friday, replacing a planned Bastille-to-Nation march with a route between Porte d’Italie and Porte de Vincennes, and used a megaphone at Bastille to tell people to leave or face a 135-euro fine.
In Lyon, French media reported that police used tear gas on Saturday morning. Trade unions criticized the bans as violations of freedom of expression protected by France’s constitution.
Nuñez acknowledged Monday that police had lost control in some cities during last weekend’s unrest and said he offered to resign, but President Emmanuel Macron refused.
In Orléans, the anti-far-right protest was organized on the sidelines of a meeting of Marine Le Pen’s nationalist, anti-immigration National Rally ahead of next spring’s presidential election.
Student groups called for 250,000 more places in higher education and an end to selection through Parcoursup, alongside more teachers and repairs to schools and universities, as well as an extra 200 euros a month in student grants and a rent freeze in public student housing.
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