France Moves 70,000 Officers to Guard Second Protest Weekend

French authorities deployed up to 70,000 police officers on Saturday to manage the second consecutive weekend of nationwide demonstrations over the cost of living. The massive deployment included support from helicopters, armored vehicles, and water cannons. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez stated that the goal was to avoid a repeat of the unrest seen the previous week, when more than half a million people took part in marches.

Nuñez announced that 135 people had been arrested during the day. Police seized a variety of items from demonstrators, including metal balls, lead pellets, fireworks, slingshots, steel balls, improvised weapons, a katana, and airsoft guns. The minister added that no major incidents had occurred in the country up to that point.

Security measures were particularly strict in Lyon, where demonstrations had been officially banned. Approximately 150 protesters near the city center attempted to block a road, prompting police to fire tear gas to disperse the group. A 21-year-old student who spoke to Agence France-Presse described the police presence as highly effective. "They come and disperse marches before they even form," the student said.

In Orléans, thousands of people marched against a congress hosted by Marine Le Pen's National Rally party. Le Pen is using the event to launch her bid to succeed President Emmanuel Macron in the elections scheduled for six months from now. Surveys indicate she is best placed to win. Demonstrators chanted slogans targeting both political leaders, shouting "Macron resign. Le Pen in prison," according to AFP. Police counted 11,000 participants, while organizers claimed the number reached 26,000.

Paris authorities described the mood as calm during the city's only authorized march at the Porte d'Italie. Police moved the location from the Bastille to the southeastern edge of the city at the last minute. Union representative Murielle Guilbert called the decision "scandalous," arguing that wages have not yet risen to the level they should. The change was accepted reluctantly by union organizers who planned the event.

The protests have caused significant disruptions to daily life in the capital. Major museums are closed, and many businesses have boarded up their windows. Art Basel, which opened on Friday, cancelled its weekend program after operating for only one day. A soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Olympique Lyonnais, originally planned for Sunday, has been moved to Monday night. Approximately 3,000 shops across France were damaged or looted during the previous weekend's unrest.

The movement began last month when high school students in the southeast of Paris demonstrated for better conditions. It has since widened to include demands for relief from rising living costs. The Yellow Vests, a group that emerged about eight years ago, announced they will hold more demonstrations on Oct. 31. They plan rallies and a sit-in outside parliament and city halls, condemning what they call the "authoritarian drift" of the government.