France Braces for Renewed Unrest Amidst Police Crackdown and Protest Bans

France is preparing for significant disruptions as authorities deploy 70,000 riot police nationwide to manage anticipated protests. Shopkeepers across the country have begun boarding up their businesses in anticipation of potential violence. In a move to quell unrest, cities including Lyon, Nice, and Montpellier have banned protests. This comes after last weekend's demonstrations, which saw town halls raided, shops looted, and public buildings set ablaze in cities like Lyon and Limoges. The protests, initially focused on school conditions, have broadened to include grievances over the rising cost of living and general dissatisfaction with the government.

President Emmanuel Macron announced this week that only demonstrations organized by recognized trade unions would be permitted. Despite these restrictions, hundreds of protests are still expected, with activist groups listing numerous planned actions. Last weekend's unrest resulted in over 100 protesters and residents injured in Paris, and approximately 2,400 arrests across France. National injury figures have not been released.

Concerns have been raised regarding police tactics, particularly after several teenagers sustained serious injuries during recent demonstrations. A 17-year-old girl lost an eye in Mulhouse and a 17-year-old boy lost a hand in Saint-Etienne. French police are equipped with various crowd-control weapons, including batons, tear gas, sound grenades, and foam-round launchers, as well as strobe lights designed to disorient. The National Police stated these "intermediate-force weapons" are defensive tools used proportionally, but critics and the families of injured teenagers argue the police response has been excessive. Human rights groups, including Amnesty International, have called for bans on certain weapons, citing their potential to cause permanent injuries.

Sociologists suggest a shift in French policing, moving away from community engagement towards specialized riot-control units since the early 2000s. This contrasts with policing methods in other European countries where officers may mingle with crowds to de-escalate tensions. French police, however, face what is described as unusually militant and sometimes violent protest movements. In response to the ongoing unrest, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez stated that police and gendarmes were instructed to utilize all available intermediate weapons. France employs over 250,000 national police officers and gendarmes. Last Saturday, 997 officers and gendarmes were injured, seven seriously. Authorities have attributed much of the recent violence to far-left radicals, while also noting that some individuals exploited the unrest for looting businesses.

Major tourist attractions, including the Louvre, Orsay, and Picasso museums, have been closed, and a PSG football match was rescheduled.