The National Union of Students of France (UNEF) has accused the authorities of attempting to “silence the voice of young people”.
France is preparing for a third day of demonstrations in three weeks on Saturday, as the government warns of a “very high risk of public disorder”, following violence and looting during the first protests against the rising cost of living on 17 October.
The first wave of demonstrations was marked by widespread chaos, including fires at public buildings and the looting of thousands of shops in the centres of major cities, particularly Paris, Lyon in east-central France, and Marseille in the southeast. Police estimated that 550,000 people took part, while the General Confederation of Labour (CGT) put the figure at 800,000.
During the second day of protests, on 24 October, security forces were deployed in significantly greater numbers. Between 410,000 and 800,000 people took part, but the demonstrations were noticeably calmer.
On Thursday, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said an “exceptional” security plan would be “reinstated and expanded” for Saturday, which coincides with Halloween. He warned that the day carried a “very high risk of public disorder”.
Around 70,000 police officers and gendarmes are expected to be deployed. Nuñez also cited “numerous calls for looting” circulating on social media.
On Friday, an aide to Nuñez predicted that Saturday’s demonstrations could see violence “similar” to the unrest of 17 October, describing the situation as “high-risk”.
“We must understand” that the interior minister is “raising the level [of alert] because there are risks”, a police source said, adding that this “deters the less reckless”.
Another source pointed to “a great deal of tension” and “exaggeration” within the Paris Police Prefecture and regional intelligence services. “On 17 October, the authorities were taken by surprise by what happened... Now, the slightest piece of information turns into reports and memorandums, and large numbers of forces are deployed at random,” the source said.
Following the first wave of protests, the interior minister acknowledged a “loss of control” in some cities and offered his resignation, which President Emmanuel Macron rejected.
On Monday, during a visit to Marseille, which was particularly badly affected, Macron said: “We did not expect that at all.”
Although demonstrations will be allowed on Saturday, Nuñez stressed that they “will not take place in city centres... but on the outskirts”.
In Lyon, the regional authorities approved a march outside the city centre, which still bears the scars of the violence on 17 October, when a building belonging to the tourism office was set on fire.
The prefecture said the organisers — the Solidaires student unions, the National Confederation of Labour (CNT) and the National Union of Students of France (UNEF) — had “committed to strengthening their internal security arrangements”.
Étienne Guyot, prefect of the Rhône department, which includes Lyon, told a local media outlet that he wanted to “encourage a de-escalation approach”, while maintaining the deployment of “more than 1,000 security personnel”. This represents a “significant increase” compared with the security measures in place on 24 October. Between 10,000 and 15,000 people are expected to attend the demonstration.
In Toulouse, a major city in southwestern France, the prefecture said it had received no prior notification of a planned demonstration. Despite issuing an order banning all gatherings, some groups called for a protest to take place at 2 p.m.
In Marseille, only demonstrations that have been formally notified to the authorities will be permitted. The city’s prefect, Jacques Witkowski, said some calls for protests had been “completely irresponsible”.
The Paris Police Prefecture, meanwhile, justified its decision to ban the routes proposed by the General Confederation of Labour and the Yellow Vests movement on public-order grounds.
The demonstrations had previously been planned to pass through the capital’s iconic Place de la Bastille. Authorities instead authorised a march in eastern Paris, along a route between Porte de Bagnolet and Porte de Charenton.
The National Union of Students of France (UNEF) accused the authorities of attempting to “silence the voice of young people”, and said it remained determined to march between Place de la Bastille and Place de la Nation in Paris despite the ban.
Youth and student organisations had condemned what they described as “police repression” on Thursday, expressing frustration over what they called a “dialogue of the deaf” with the interior minister on the issue.
As the country awaits the outcome of Saturday’s demonstrations, Antoine, who owns an e-cigarette shop on Place Jean Macé in Lyon, the planned endpoint of the march, appeared resigned to the situation.
“I’ll come in to open the shop regardless; otherwise, I won’t get paid,” he said.
“But if things deteriorate”, as they did on 24 October when a gathering was dispersed with tear gas, “I’ll go home to protect myself”.
