France faces this Saturday a new wave of protests, the fourth in a row, with a broad police deployment and an express warning from the Ministry of the Interior against unannounced gatherings and possible outbreaks of violence, maintaining a hard line of maximum firmness toward those who disrupt public order.
The head of Interior, Laurent Nuñez, who has again reiterated the Government’s backing for peaceful marches, said on Friday that an important part of the calls scheduled for this Saturday does not have clearly identified organizers or trade union counterparts. In his view, this type of spontaneous appeals is usually accompanied on social media by messages that incite violence, blockades, and various acts of vandalism.
"The Ministry of the Interior continues to support those who demonstrate peacefully, respecting the rules for their protection and thus guaranteeing the freedom to protest," the institution said in an official statement, in which it also warned that "a decisive response will be given to the vandals and looters, who will be arrested".
From the Ministry, they emphasized the difference with the previous days, which took place without major incidents where the routes agreed beforehand with the competent authorities were respected.
To prevent disturbances, the Government has decided to maintain the same level of security deployment as in the previous weekends, with 70,000 police officers and gendarmes, including territorial personnel and 110 units of mobile forces. The operation also includes the use of armored vehicles, water cannons, helicopters, and drones.
In addition, several prefectures have banned gatherings in certain areas of the city centers, especially in the places where scenes of violence had already occurred. In the case of authorized protests, local authorities have agreed with the organizers on alternative itineraries away from those sensitive areas.
Checks will also be carried out on roads, rail lines, and stations with the aim of seizing dangerous objects that could be used as weapons. Officers will also be empowered to remove banners that include messages constituting an offense, such as advocating violence or criminal conduct, as well as insults or defamation.
This new day of marches against the French Government due to the high cost of living takes place after a week marked by blockades, protests, and a general strike held on Thursday, whose participation the Ministry of the Interior estimated at around 600,000 people, compared with the almost 1.6 million demonstrators that it said it had counted the General Confederation of Labour (CGT).