France steps up security, deploys military to contain fresh protests

By Benoit Berthelot

 

French authorities are bracing for a new round of protests Saturday, rolling out the military to back up police to prevent a repeat of last weekend’s riots and reassure markets unnerved by the violence. 

 

There will be 20% more police on the ground than last Saturday, according to the Interior Ministry. The chaos that followed cost-of-living protests then led the looting of 3,000 stores and 2,700 arrests.

 

On top of the reinforced police presence, special-intervention forces normally used for risky missions like counter-terrorism will be used if needed, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said on Wednesday. Soldiers will help guard sensitive buildings. Helicopters, water canons and armored vehicles known as Centaurs will also be available.

 

 

“It’s not just Paris, it’s many cities across France,” Thierry Clair, national secretary of the Unsa Police union, said in an interview. “There will be large-scale operations everywhere.” At least 75% of the police force will be mobilized, a very high rate, with many postponing days off to work, he added. 

 

President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday that only protests organized by labor unions would be approved by local authorities this weekend. “The general recommendation is that there be no demonstrations in the coming days,” he said, framing the decision as a way to bring calm. The restriction on protests mean that people who aren’t in the marches are breaking the law, and is aimed at ensuring the rule of law, a French official said. 

 

The crackdown prompted criticism from the left. It was described as “a historic attack on the right to protest” by far-left France Unbowed lawmaker Manon Aubry. In a statement Thursday, the CGT union said it was the government’s responsibility to maintain order, calling on authorities to end their “repressive tactics.”

 

Any new unrest could increase fears about France’s financial situation at a time of heightened political uncertainty. France is struggling to reduce the budget deficit ahead of elections in six months, pushing up spreads between French and German government bonds into territory associated with the euro-area debt crisis. 

 

The premium on French 10-year bonds over Germany increased by 16 basis points to 175 basis points on Thursday, the highest since late 2011. Italian bonds also came under pressure, with its German yield gap widening by 11 basis points to 127 basis points. Italy is also dealing with protests and road blockades over soaring fuel prices. 

 

Moody’s, which rates France’s investment-grade sovereign debt a step above Standard & Poor’s, may lower its rating later on Friday.

Second round

Supported by a disparate movement of social media figures, students, unions and left-wing parties, Saturday’s protests are framed as an “Acte II,” or second round, of a movement calling for better public services and government help with the cost of living. Much of the anger is targeted at Macron, who six months before the end of his second term has never been so unpopular.

 

Macron pushed back at criticism from foreign leaders including Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu, who are both involved in election campaigns. Speaking to reporters in Doha this week, he derided those making “stupid comments” on the unrest for political gain.

 

“There are people who campaign at France’s expense — leaders who are in campaign mode, whether here in the region or on the other side of the Atlantic,” he told reporters in Doha.

Le Pen Rally

Like last weekend, the planned protests will be spread nationwide. Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally is holding its congress in the city of Orléans, in the center of France, with leftists parties planning to organize a counter-protest that will draw tens of thousands.

 

The central city “will require a lot of personnel,” Clair said.

 

In Paris, shops including luxury boutiques have been boarding up windows and hiring more security personnel, and some will remain shut. The main march in Paris, authorized by police, will stretch from the Bastille square to the Nation square, in the northeast of the French capital.

 

Kering SA, owner of Gucci and Balenciaga, remains vigilant for riot threats in the coming days, the chief financial officer of the luxury group said on an earnings call Thursday. Carrefour SA warned that the social unrest will drag on its earnings this year, a sign of the economic impact from the riots. 

 

Three popular museums, the Louvre, Musee d’Orsay and the Picasso Museum will close Saturday, according to Agence France-Press.

 

Marseille and Lyon banned protests on Saturday and extended curfews.