The French government is deploying 70,000 police officers to cities across the country as authorities expect a third week of intense anti-government protests to resume Saturday.
Demonstrators objecting to rising costs and President Emmanuel Macron’s government have engaged in looting and damaging property, prompting the law enforcement surge, according to officials.
“Everyone is on deck to ensure an extremely firm response to any trouble,” Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said at a news conference early in the week.
The expected protests, coinciding with Halloween, introduce an additional element to authorities’ response, as some protesters are expected to don Halloween masks to hide their identities.
At least 150 planned gatherings across the country have been tracked and acknowledged by the Interior Ministry.
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One of the events, a planned march between the iconic Parisian squares of Republique and Bastille, has been banned by France’s top administrative court. The demonstration was instead rerouted to boulevards on the eastern fringe of the city, far from the main shopping centers.
France’s Chamber of Commerce has estimated retail losses from looting and property damage at over $1 billion, while other estimates that include lost revenue calculate losses could be double that.
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Some of Paris’ iconic luxury shops, like Hermes and Louis Vuitton, have been targeted by rioters as France’s marquee shopping avenues now show scores of buildings with protective wooden boards.
In response to the unrest, France’s government is crafting a law that would punish rioters who caused property damage and make them liable to pay up to €10,000, or $11,000.
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Demonstrations originated with the country’s young people protesting schooling conditions and pushing for educational reform and quickly ballooned to include other social groups and issues, including economic anxieties, rising costs in fuel and borrowing.
Though the French government has vowed to reform education and reduce fuel costs, the promises have not satisfied the protesters.
“When I was little, I was told young people were the future,” 15-year-old high school student Aaron Berthier de Grandry, who plans on protesting over the weekend, told Reuters.
“Well, if we, as the future of France, lack resources, that means France will end up collapsing,” de Grandry added.
The U.S. Embassy in France has advised travelers to avoid areas where large gatherings are taking place.
Reuters contributed to this report.
