France mobilizes 70,000 officers and closes top Paris museums before protests
France is deploying around 70,000 police nationwide and shutting major Paris museums on Saturday ahead of expected protests. The measures follow looting and violence during demonstrations last week, when more than 500,000 people took part. Authorities are also using helicopters, armored vehicles and water cannons to prevent renewed unrest.
Officials plan roughly 70,000 officers across the country, supported by helicopters, armored vehicles and water cannons. The Louvre, Orsay, Picasso Museum and Grand Palais are shut Saturday; the Grand Palais had been showing a Cézanne exhibition. Art Basel opened Friday but canceled its weekend program.
Around 3,000 shops were damaged or looted last weekend. Marches are scheduled for Paris and Marseille, while Lyon, Nice and Montpellier have banned rallies. In Limoges, a suspected arson nearly destroyed the 19th-century city hall. Unions say the bans restrict expression.
The heavy security presence and museum closures may disrupt daily life for residents and visitors in Paris, while shopkeepers could feel both reassured and economically strained. Bans on some rallies may heighten tensions between authorities and demonstrators, and repeated unrest could affect public trust in institutions. The outcome may shape how communities, businesses and local officials prepare for further protests.