Circuit Wire — a daily news update from the Circuit.
France will deploy about 70,000 police officers and gendarmes on Saturday, October 31, for a new round of nationwide protests, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said on Thursday.
That matches the number put on the streets last weekend, which Nuñez described as an exceptional step. Armoured vehicles and water cannon introduced the previous week will be strengthened. He rated the risk of public disorder on Saturday as “very high.”
Demonstrations will be allowed, but not in city centres. Nuñez warned people against using Halloween masks to hide their identity during disturbances. Gatherings on Halloween evening that call for revolution will be banned, he said, and he tied those calls to the ultra-left and some yellow vest activists.
The yellow vest movement and student unions called Saturday’s protests. Yellow vest activists have announced a third day of action, with demonstrations planned outside the National Assembly and town halls across the country.
Last weekend’s figures show the scale. The interior ministry put turnout at about 410,000 nationwide, while unions claimed roughly double. More than 2,700 people were arrested. Far-right and left-wing groups clashed at rallies in about 15 cities. We covered that mobilization in an earlier Circuit Wire post.
The US Embassy in Paris issued a security alert on Thursday saying groups have called for protests on both Friday, October 30, and Saturday, October 31. It said recent demonstrations turned violent, with heavy property damage, looting and attacks on police, and that police used tear gas. Recent demonstration routes ran outside city centers, the embassy said, and protests can also form outside planned routes with little notice.
Local curfews in parts of France, including some Paris neighborhoods, may continue and can be imposed at short notice. The embassy warned of sudden Metro and rail closures, along with traffic disruptions and road blockades.
Protests turned violent on October 17 in Paris, Lille and Lyon, according to Fox News. Rioters attacked public buildings and looted stores. The Louvre closed on Monday after protesters blocked its entrances, the tourism office in Lyon was set on fire, and the historic town hall in Limoges was burned. The mayor of Bordeaux reported that as many as 100 shops there were looted.
Want a weekly roundup of the major stories shaping the security industry? The On The Circuit newsletter is read by more than 12,000 protection professionals.
Spotted something we should cover? Send tips and feedback via circuit-magazine.com.