A nation's young people asked for better schools and found their grievance widening into something larger: the weight of daily living costs pressing on everyone. When that anger spilled into riots that burned cars and emptied shop windows across Paris and other cities, the state answered with force, placing 70,000 officers on the streets for the weekend. It is a familiar moment in the long story of democracies, where a demand for fairness and the fear of disorder meet on the same square, and where the question is whether the hard-won trust between citizens and their government can be rebuilt b
France Deploys 70,000 Police Ahead of Weekend Protests as Unrest Over Education and Cost of Living Grows
Riots last week ransacked thousands of stores and burned cars and buildings, and police faced masked looters; the article reports no casualties.
A nation's young people asked for better schools and found their grievance widening into something larger: the weight of daily living costs pressing on everyone. When that anger spilled into riots that burned cars and emptied shop windows across Paris and other cities, the state answered with force, placing 70,000 officers on the streets for the weekend. It is a familiar moment in the long story of democracies, where a demand for fairness and the fear of disorder meet on the same square, and where the question is whether the hard-won trust between citizens and their government can be rebuilt before the anger hardens.
It began with students asking for better school facilities and more teachers. Over the weeks, their frustration grew into a broader anger over the rising cost of living, and last Saturday that anger turned violent. Masked groups burned cars and buildings, and thousands of stores were ransacked in Paris and other major cities. Authorities blamed radical militants and young looters for exploiting the unrest, and no casualties have been reported.
Now the government is preparing for the next test. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez has promised 70,000 police, backed by elite units, mounted officers, helicopters, water cannon and drones, and has vowed to be uncompromising with anyone who commits violence. Curfews will remain in parts of the capital, and shopkeepers are boarding up their windows while the city council urges residents to clear anything that could be used as a projectile or barricade.
The right to march is being handed out selectively. Only one union demonstration has been approved in Paris, while student and Yellow Vest rallies were refused. In Marseille, a blanket ban was reversed for a union march, and in Lyon officials plan to keep protesters out of the centre. President Macron, who met secondary students for the first time on Friday, has tried to separate legitimate protest from violence, pointing to far-left groups rather than migrants or Islamists.
The students were not reassured. Their spokesman said they remain unsatisfied and are waiting for concrete proposals at Monday's meeting with the prime minister. Saturday will show whether the police operation holds, and Monday will show whether the standoff can turn into real answers.
On Friday, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez told reporters that France would put 70,000 police officers on the streets for Saturday's protests. He said calls for violence and looting were circulating online, and that the government would be "uncompromising" with rioters, looters and anyone committing acts of violence.
The regular officers will be backed by elite units, mounted police and heavy vehicles. Nunez said they will also have helicopters, water cannon, drones and anti-drone systems. He promised the police would be "extremely vigilant" and would "let absolutely nothing pass."
The deployment follows a week after riots tore through Paris and other major cities. The standoff began with students demanding better school facilities, more teachers and other improvements to the education system. It has since widened into a general expression of anger over the cost of living. Last Saturday the protests turned violent. Masked groups burned cars and buildings, and thousands of stores were ransacked. Authorities blamed radical militants and bands of young looters for exploiting the protesters' anger. The article reports no casualties. Nunez called the unrest "completely unacceptable" and said the state would do everything in its power to prevent a repeat.
In Paris, shopkeepers were seen boarding up their windows. The city council asked residents and business owners to clear away anything that could be set alight or used as a projectile or barricade.
Nunez said curfews will stay in place in designated parts of the capital. According to local police, they include restrictions between 11 pm and 6 am in two central Paris squares.
On who may march, the authorities have been selective. Police approved just one Paris demonstration on Saturday, organized by the labor union CGT, along a limited route. They rejected requests for rallies from UNEF, France's largest student union, and from the anti-establishment Yellow Vest movement. UNEF says it will protest regardless, and Yellow Vest supporters were expected to join the CGT march.
Elsewhere the picture has been uneven. Officials banned all protests in Marseille, France's second-largest city, then reversed course and allowed a union demonstration. In Lyon, the third-largest, they intend to keep protesters out of the city center.
President Emmanuel Macron's centrist government is trying to separate protests it considers legitimate from the violence. Macron rejected the narrative that Islamist extremists and migrants were driving the unrest. He has instead pointed to far-left groups, accusing them of trying to stage a coup.
On Friday, Macron held his first-ever meeting with representatives of secondary school students. It did not calm things. Nathanael Combary, president of the campaign group High School Renewal, said, "We are not satisfied." He said the president had been "attentive," but that students were still waiting for concrete proposals, which they expect to hear at a meeting with the prime minister on Monday. He urged fellow students to "continue to mobilize" and keep up a "standoff" with the government.
Saturday will test the police operation. Monday's meeting with the prime minister will show whether the students' demands receive concrete answers.
Quieres la nota completa?
Lee el original en Deutsche Welle ↗
Politics & Governance