France Deploys 70,000 Officers as Paris Reroutes Saturday Marches

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez ordered the deployment of up to 70,000 police officers across France for Saturday’s demonstrations. The security force includes helicopters, armored vehicles, and water cannons to manage the crowds. A week of unrest left shops looted and vehicles burned, prompting authorities to brace for another large turnout.

Police altered the main Paris route on Friday to limit the march to the city’s southeastern edge. The new path runs between Porte d’Italie and Porte de Vincennes. This route replaces the original plan from Bastille to Nation. In central Paris, a few dozen gendarmes were posted beneath the Arc de Triomphe and along nearby avenues in preparation for the event.

The protests began last month over staff shortages at a high school southeast of Paris. The movement has expanded to include workers and students demanding better conditions. Last week’s demonstrations drew more than half a million people. Organizers expect a similar crowd to gather this Saturday.

Student groups have released a joint 10-point plan to address their demands. The plan calls for 250,000 additional higher education places and the end of the Parcoursup admissions selection system. Students also want an extra 200 euros, about 313 Canadian dollars, in monthly grants and a rent freeze in public housing. Unions are simultaneously pushing for higher wages and pension reforms to help households with living costs.

Cultural venues and businesses have adjusted their schedules in response to the threat. The Louvre, Musée d’Orsay, Picasso Museum, and Grand Palais are closed on Saturday. The Grand Palais is currently hosting a major Cézanne exhibit. Art Basel opened to the public on Friday for a single day before organizers cancelled the weekend program.

Shopkeepers have been barricading their stores all week to protect their inventories. Akram Ahmed, a 34-year-old contractor, boarded up an optician’s shop near Saint-Lazare station. "I got the call last night," Ahmed said. He added that the owner told him the action was saving his life. Approximately 3,000 shops across France were damaged or looted during last weekend’s unrest.

Local authorities banned marches in several cities, including Lyon, Nice, and Montpellier. French media reported that police used tear gas in Lyon on Saturday morning. Trade unions criticized the bans as violations of the constitutional protection for freedom of expression. In Limoges, police placed two suspects under formal investigation and held them pending trial after a fire nearly destroyed the 19th-century city hall. The probe includes attempted murder of a public official.

Paris police prefect Patrice Faure urged shopkeepers to hire security guards, then clarified that protecting businesses is the government's responsibility. President Emmanuel Macron faces the crisis in the final stretch of his term, with his popularity at its lowest since 2017. In Orléans, thousands gathered for an anti-far-right protest ahead of next spring's presidential election. Victoria Ambrosini, an art critic at Saint-Denis University, said money is now "concentrated in the hands of very few people," adding, "it's not possible anymore."