French interior minister to deploy 70,000 security personnel on October 31 — Cyprus Mail

French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said that on Saturday, October 31, 70,000 security personnel will be deployed across the country to maintain public order during planned protests. The official described the day, which falls on Halloween, as posing a “very high risk” to public order.

Calls for evening gatherings

As Cyprus Mail reports, Nuñez told journalists that several radical groups had circulated calls on social media for violent gatherings. According to him, the security forces’ response will be “extremely firm.”

The minister separately drew attention to the risk of unrest on Saturday evening, after the main demonstrations end. He reported calls by representatives of the labor movement, radicalized left-wing groups and some radicalized Yellow Vest movement websites to take to street gatherings from 8:00 p.m. in many French cities.

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Previous actions and new calls

According to the French Interior Ministry, 410,000 people took part in marches last Saturday. Authorities also deployed 70,000 police officers at the time, which, according to the ministry’s assessment, helped avoid a repeat of the looting and vandalism that swept many cities on October 17.

Trade union leaders and students called for new protests on October 31 and a nationwide strike on November 5. They say that discontent over wages, the cost of living and the state of public services extends beyond the student movement that became active a month earlier.