France deploys 70000 police ahead of new nationwide protests

France is on high alert ahead of a new day of nationwide protests planned for Saturday, BBC News reported. The French interior ministry announced it will deploy 70,000 police officers across French cities over concerns that demonstrators will defy restrictions placed on public gatherings. Hundreds of thousands of protesters are expected to gather in Paris and other areas for demonstrations organized by students, trade unions, and anti-government groups. [1]

The increased security presence comes after opposition parties accused the government of failing to predict the extent of widespread unrest on October 17, BBC News reported. As FTMQ News reported earlier, those nationwide weekend protests over rising fuel prices and living costs saw around 550,000 participants and led to more than 2,000 arrests after rioting and looting occurred. [1][5]

The upcoming protests follow the failure of political talks aimed at resolving the crisis. As FTMQ News reported earlier, Sophie Binet, the leader of the CGT union, called for strikes after discussions with French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu collapsed without an agreement. [4]

France has a population of 68.6 million people as of January 2025, making it the third-most populous nation in Europe after Russia and Germany. Its capital and largest city is Paris. [3]