France on High Alert: 70,000 Officers Deployed as Protests Erupt Over School Conditions and Cost of Living

France is preparing for a significant wave of protests, with over 70,000 police officers and gendarmes mobilized nationwide. The demonstrations are a response to concerns over deteriorating school conditions and the escalating cost of living. Authorities are determined to prevent a recurrence of the widespread violence and looting that marred protests last weekend, which saw thousands of businesses damaged and over 2,000 arrests.

To ensure public safety, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez announced a 20% increase in officer deployment compared to the previous weekend. The elite police unit RAID, typically involved in counterterrorism, will also provide support. In a bid to control potential unrest, President Emmanuel Macron indicated that protest requests from trade unions would be subject to local authority review, while demonstrations organized by other groups may be banned. Prohibitions have already been issued in downtown areas of cities like Montpellier, Rouen, and Nice, with restrictions also in place in Lyon and Marseille.

In Paris, a planned march by a coalition of unions has been rerouted from the city center to the Boulevards des Marechaux. This ban has drawn criticism from Amnesty International France, which expressed concerns about the impact on freedoms and the right to peaceful protest.

The heightened security measures have led to business closures, with shop windows boarded up and private security hired by some retailers. At least 24 metro stations have been closed at the police prefecture's request, and major cultural institutions like the Louvre and the Musee d’Orsay, along with Art Basel Paris, have cancelled weekend events.

President Macron met with student movement representatives, promising more teachers and an overhaul of the university admission system, Parcoursup. However, these measures have not yet diffused tensions, with students calling for concrete government actions.

The protests, initially sparked by high school students concerned about school conditions and university access, have broadened to encompass wider discontent over the cost of living, inequality, and Macron's presidency. The unrest coincides with the upcoming presidential election, where far-right leader Marine Le Pen is a leading contender. Tensions are also anticipated in Orleans, where Le Pen's National Rally is holding its party congress, with authorities expecting a significant counter-demonstration.