France Deploys 70,000 Police as Protests Return: Louvre Shut, Paris Metro Stations Closed

France braced for a second straight Saturday of nationwide protests on October 24, deploying around 70,000 police officers and gendarmes across the country — about 10,000 more than a week earlier. The show of force follows the October 17 demonstrations, when roughly 550,000 people marched over the cost of living, purchasing power and conditions in French schools, and violence and looting on the sidelines shocked the country. Officials expect between 400,000 and 500,000 people on the streets this time.
In Paris, the march route became a last-minute battleground. Police changed the approved route from Bastille to Nation to a new path from Porte d'Italie to Porte de Vincennes, and after an urgent court challenge failed, trade unions agreed to the revised route. At least 24 metro stations closed, the Louvre and the Musée d'Orsay shut for the day, and Art Basel Paris cancelled its weekend programme, while shops in the centre boarded up.
Elsewhere, bans and court fights shaped the day. Police used tear gas to disperse around 150 people in Lyon, where central demonstrations were banned, and several cities including Montpellier, Rouen and Nice restricted protests — though courts in Limoges and around Marseille suspended some bans. A night curfew around Place de la République and Les Halles runs until October 26. Last weekend's unrest led to 2,700 arrests and 217 jail sentences, and with a presidential election six months away, the government is desperate to avoid a repeat.
Source: read more
Comments
Post a Comment