'We will be uncompromising', France warns as it deploys 70,000 police to face new protests

French authorities deployed 70,000 police officers and gendarmes on Saturday to prevent a recurrence of the violent unrest that shook major cities the previous week. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez announced the massive security operation, which included elite police units, soldiers from the Sentinelle mission, armored vehicles, helicopters, and drones, stating that the government would be "intransigent" against disorder. Despite the heavy presence, 135 people were detained during the day for carrying objects such as metal balls, fireworks, and a katana. Nuñez told reporters that while there had been no major incidents so far, security forces fired tear gas canisters in Lyon early in the morning to disperse approximately 150 people attempting to block traffic in a prohibited zone. The current wave of protests follows a critical escalation on October 17, when demonstrations coincided with looting, arson, and clashes with law enforcement. That weekend marked the peak of violence, resulting in one death from cardiac arrest, approximately 2,400 arrests, and around 600 injuries among police, gendarmes, and firefighters. The Federation of Commerce and Distribution estimated that damage from the looting of roughly 1,500 establishments could amount to hundreds of millions of euros. In response, the government imposed partial curfews in neighborhoods of large cities and banned unauthorized demonstrations, allowing marches only when organized by "legitimate" actors such as trade unions. The movement began on September 17 at the Saint-Exupéry high school in Créteil, a suburb south of Paris. Teachers initiated a strike over staffing shortages, prompting students to join in blocking the campus. Their demands included hiring more teachers, improving school facilities, reforming Parcoursup, the national system for university admissions, and securing an additional 10 billion euros for public education. By September 29, the mobilization expanded beyond schools, with public service workers and unions joining to protest conditions in public services. At that time, more than 400 educational centers remained blocked, and the first incidents between protesters and security forces occurred, though much of the activity remained peaceful. On October 1, student blocks spread to major cities including Lyon, Marseille, Lille, Nantes, Strasbourg, and Toulouse. University students joined secondary school pupils, and Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu’s government established a crisis unit to manage the situation. Tensions rose sharply on October 5 and 6 following an incident in Lens, northern France, where a 15-year-old student lost a hand after a police grenade exploded near a high school. This event intensified criticism of riot gear usage and added an end to police violence to the list of demands. A subsequent day of protests on October 6 saw participation from students, teachers, families, and public sector workers. By mid-October, the protests converged into a broad coalition opposing the cost of living and government policies under President Emmanuel Macron. The movement united secondary and university students, farmers, truck drivers, unions, climate activists, and the Yellow Jackets, a group that previously challenged Macron in 2018 and 2019. Farmers and transporters revived complaints regarding the EU-Mercosur agreement and rising fuel costs, while unions focused on inflation and purchasing power. Climate activists argued that environmental justice and social justice are linked. International figures, including activist Greta Thunberg, visited a high school in Saint-Denis to show support. The Yellow Jackets called for new mobilizations under the slogan "Yellows and Young," aiming to counter what they described as an authoritarian drift. The political context adds pressure to the government, which holds a minority position in Parliament. Authorities are seeking to approve significant fiscal adjustments in the 2027 budget to reduce public debt and deficit levels, aiming to reassure markets. However, investor confidence has wavered; the yield on French 10-year sovereign bonds exceeded 5% for the first time since 2002. This rise reflects fears about the state's ability to repay its debt, particularly if credit rating agency Moody's downgrades France's rating. Authorities have attributed the recent violence to "ultra-left groups," specifically identifying antifascists, anarchists, and anarcho-autonomists, who allegedly joined forces with opportunistic criminals, many of them young men from urban suburbs, to loot shops. Macron accused these factions of causing the chaos. Meanwhile, the European Union Commissioner for Human Rights, Michael O'Flaherty, urged countries experiencing protests, including France, Spain, Italy, and Albania, to respect the right to demonstrate and prioritize de-escalation in police operations. In Paris, authorities last-minute changed the route of an authorized march, moving it from the symbolic Place de la Bastille to a more distant area in the southeast near the ring road. Ryad Rani, leader of the High School Student Union Syndical, criticized this decision, calling it scandalous that the state decides who can protest and where. Protesters in the capital carried signs reading "Macron, sit in the corner" and chanted "Macron resign." One 22-year-old student, identified only as Cas, stated that protesting was essential for those denied the right to demonstrate, describing the restrictions as a human rights issue. Security measures extended to protecting key sites, with gendarmerie armored vehicles guarding the Élysée Palace and the National Assembly. In Orléans, about 100 kilometers south of Paris, a significant deployment was planned ahead of a demonstration against a conference of the far-right National Rally party, led by presidential candidate Marine Le Pen. Separately, a 39-year-old man was detained after carrying out a presumed terrorist and racist attack near Paris on Friday, killing one person and injuring others. The government rejected declaring a state of emergency, opting instead for targeted curfews and bans on unauthorized gatherings. Many merchants in Paris boarded up shop windows with wooden planks in anticipation of further unrest. The Yellow Jackets have already announced another mobilization within seven days. The situation remains tense as the country approaches the May election, with the government balancing the need to restore order against the risk of further alienating a diverse and angry populace.