France and a new anti-government protest: streets taken, shops closed and 70,000 police deployed

French authorities deployed more than 70,000 police officers on Saturday to manage a new wave of nationwide protests against President Emmanuel Macron’s government. The Ministry of Interior reported that approximately 35,000 demonstrators took to the streets in major cities, resulting in 135 arrests by early afternoon. While the security operation was unprecedented in scale, officials stated that the day remained significantly calmer than the previous weekend, which had seen widespread violence and damage to nearly 3,000 commercial establishments. The massive deployment included elite police units, national gendarmes, soldiers from the Sentinelle mission, armored vehicles, helicopters, and drones. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez warned hours before the demonstrations began that the government would be "intransigent," citing calls for action from far-left groups. He noted that many of the arrests were linked to preventive checks during which authorities seized potential weapons such as fireworks, ball bearings, knives, and air rifles. Despite the heavy presence, Nuñez expressed relief at the relative calm compared to the previous week, though he urged continued caution as the day progressed. In Paris, the main demonstration route was altered at the last minute due to fears of riots and looting. Police redirected the official march from the historic Place de la Bastille to the more distant Place d’Italie in the southeastern part of the city. An administrative court confirmed this emergency decision shortly before the start. Union leaders criticized the move, with representative Murielle Guilbert calling it "scandalous" that the president had effectively banned protesters from demonstrating in their preferred locations. She argued that the country is experiencing immense social anger because wages have not risen to meet living costs. Along the new route via Boulevard Poniatowski, shopkeepers served customers through partially lowered shutters after receiving notice of the route change just hours prior. Violence erupted in several other cities as the marches concluded. In Lyon, security forces fired tear gas canisters to disperse a group attempting to block traffic in an unauthorized zone near Place Jean Macé. Similar clashes involving hooded youths occurred in Marseille. In Nice, police used water cannons after demonstrators ignored orders to clear Place Masséna. Tear gas was also deployed in Clermont-Ferrand, Grenoble, and Lille. In the department of Nord, authorities recorded 30 arrests, 25 of which took place in Lille, alongside the seizure of hunting knives and compressed-air rifles. In Toulouse, police confiscated mortars and protective gear during pre-march inspections. Disruptions extended to infrastructure and retail sectors. In Chambéry, roughly 1,000 people occupied the urban highway, trapping hundreds of cars. In Grenoble, masked groups attacked storefronts belonging to electronics retailer Fnac, real estate agency Foncia, and a McDonald’s restaurant. Meanwhile, in Bordeaux, the march grew to include a line of participants stretching 800 meters, guarded by agents stationed in public buildings. In Orléans, protesters threw nails at representatives of the far-right Rassemblement National party. Demonstrations were prohibited in specific zones of several cities, including Nancy, Belfort, Rouen, Le Havre, Toulon, and Limoges. Limoges had suffered significant destruction to its town hall in an arson attack during the previous weekend’s unrest, known locally as "17-O." Organizers claimed participation levels were similar to the previous Saturday, while government figures placed the count lower than the 550,000 estimated by authorities during the earlier event. Although some sources cited higher total attendance figures ranging up to 800,000 based on organizer claims, the immediate police assessment focused on the 35,000 active in the main centers at midday. The protests, which initially focused on improving conditions in the education system, have broadened to include opposition to high cost of living and wage stagnation. Groups associated with the Yellow Vest movement have also rejoined the mobilization. In Brussels, Belgium, parallel protests saw police deploy tear gas and pepper spray against hundreds of mostly young demonstrators demanding better funding for schools. Witnesses reported that protesters fled from law enforcement, with some falling to the ground as officers struck one individual. These Belgian protests were described as smaller and less violent than similar demonstrations in France over the past week. Museums and shops closed preemptively to avoid vandalism. The government’s strategy aimed to contain any repeat of the previous weekend's chaos, where thousands of stores were damaged or looted. As evening approached, tensions rose slightly in some areas, but there were no reports of generalized assaults comparable to the previous day. The focus shifted to managing the dispersal of crowds and securing key infrastructure. Authorities maintained a strict stance, emphasizing that public order would be preserved despite the size of the turnout. The contrast between the two weekends highlighted the effectiveness of the expanded security perimeter, even as underlying grievances regarding economic inequality persisted among the crowd.