France’s Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said authorities had drawn up an unprecedented security plan, extending measures introduced last week and reinforcing protection around markets, malls and shopping centers. The decision follows the circulation on social media of several calls to loot and damage public and private property.
The interior minister said gatherings would be permitted only outside and around city centers, provided protest organizers adopt security measures to control crowds and prevent violations.
Meanwhile, prefects are issuing orders banning gatherings promoted online for Saturday evening, coinciding with Halloween celebrations, as security forces suspect the festivities could be used as a cover for concealing faces and carrying out illegal activities. As part of the plan, the Interior Ministry has deployed specialized units including the BRI, police intervention forces (RAID) and the Gendarmerie’s elite GIGN units, along with drones, helicopters and armored vehicles.
Elsewhere in his remarks, France’s interior minister revealed that since the middle of last September, 1,193 police officers and gendarmes have been injured in clashes with protesters and demonstrators across France.
