France Mobilizes 70,000 Police Officers to Secure Protests and Prevent Riots
Wide-scale security mobilization in France to confront union protests and prevent violence.
Translated by Qiyas from السياسة — Original source
- Macron restricts protests to unions... 2,700 arrested following last week’s unrest
France announced on Friday the deployment of 70,000 police and gendarme officers across the country on Saturday to secure scheduled demonstrations, maintain public order, and prevent a recurrence of the riots and looting witnessed during last week’s protests.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez told journalists that authorities would deploy 70,000 police and gendarme personnel to manage the protests scheduled for October 24, emphasizing zero tolerance for any violence, riots, or looting, and vowing to take decisive action to arrest those involved and hold them legally accountable.
French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Thursday the ban on illegal protests, allowing only demonstrations organized by trade unions, provided they are held away from commercial areas to avoid a repeat of looting and rioting.
Several French cities witnessed protests last Saturday, accompanied by riots, arson targeting government buildings, and looting.
According to French Minister of Justice Gerald Darmanin, police arrested approximately 2,700 individuals in connection with those events, while 217 of them received prison sentences, and around 1,000 others are still facing legal proceedings.
