France Mobilizes 70,000 Officers to Contain Second Weekend of Unrest

Seventy thousand police officers took to the streets of France this Saturday to manage demonstrations that have entered their second consecutive weekend. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez announced the deployment, which included helicopters, armored vehicles, and water cannons. The heavy show of force aimed to prevent a repeat of the violence seen last week. More than half a million people had joined protests the previous Saturday, citing the high cost of living.

Nuñez stated that 135 individuals were detained during the day's events. Authorities also confiscated a wide variety of items from protesters. The list included metal balls, lead pellets, fireworks, slingshots, and improvised weapons. Officers seized a katana and several airsoft guns. The minister declared that no major incidents had occurred across the country despite the large turnout.

Tensions flared in Lyon, where local authorities had banned demonstrations. Approximately 150 protesters gathered near the city center. They attempted to block a road briefly. Police responded by firing tear gas to disperse the crowd. A 21-year-old student who spoke to Agence France-Presse described the police presence as highly active. The student noted that officers moved quickly to break up marches before they fully formed.

In Orleans, thousands of people marched against a congress hosted by Marine Le Pen's National Rally party. Le Pen is launching her presidential bid to succeed Emmanuel Macron. Elections are six months away, and polls indicate she is the leading candidate. Marchers chanted slogans targeting both leaders. They called for Macron to resign and Le Pen to go to prison. Police counted 11,000 participants, while organizers claimed the number reached 26,000. About 50 groups, including unions and student organizations, called for the protest.

The mood in Paris was described as calm by authorities. Hundreds of people gathered at the Porte d'Italie for the city's only authorized march. Police moved the location from the Bastille to the southeastern edge of the city at the last minute. Union representative Murielle Guilbert called the change scandalous. She argued that Macron had barred protesters from demonstrating where they wished. A student named Lucas told CBS that anger among the public is a normal response to current conditions.

The unrest has disrupted daily life in the capital. Major museums are closed, and many businesses boarded up their windows. Art Basel opened for a single day on Friday before cancelling its weekend program. The first NFL game in France, featuring the New Orleans Saints, remains scheduled for Sunday. However, some related venues closed on Saturday. A soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Olympique Lyonnais was moved from Sunday to Monday night. Around 3,000 shops across France were damaged or looted during the previous weekend's protests.

The movement began last month when high school students in southeastern Paris protested for better conditions. It widened as citizens demanded relief from rising living costs. The Yellow Vests, who emerged eight years ago to protest against Macron, plan more demonstrations on October 31. They intend to hold rallies and a sit-in outside parliament and city halls. They condemn the authoritarian drift of the government. Unrest also spread to other parts of Europe, with Italy sending soldiers to Milan and riot police using water cannons on students in Tirana.