According to AFP, French Interior Minister Jean-Paul Debrut said on the 20th that military forces will be deployed for the 'Sentinels Operation' in order to free up police and military police to deal with the expected demonstrations.
Nunez stated that the role of these soldiers will be to ‘replace the domestic security forces on fixed surveillance posts’, thereby ‘liberating police and civil police forces to carry out tasks related to maintaining public order’.
"Sentinels Operation" was launched in January 2015. Currently, 10,000 soldiers are deployed across France to prevent potential terrorist attacks.
These soldiers are typically stationed outside areas that are considered sensitive, including religious sites, schools, tourist attractions, train stations, and airports. The ‘Sentinels Operation’ units have also been deployed during major events such as the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris.
Nunetz added that the goal of this deployment is to give security forces stronger "rapid response capabilities and mobility" in order to handle groups that are "dispersed and highly mobile".
He also stated that "They are considering the possibility of prohibiting demonstrations that are not reported beforehand and which might lead to public order chaos."
According to Reuters, after large-scale anti-government demonstrations turned into riots and robberies, the French Prime Minister's office announced on the 19th that curfews would be imposed in some areas of cities such as Paris, Lille, and Nice to prevent further violent incidents.
Paris police announced that from 8 p.m. local time on the 19th to 6 a.m. on the 20th, demonstrations and gatherings were prohibited in some areas of Paris. Specifically, curfews were imposed around La Republique Square and the Rue de Rivoli starting at 11 p.m. on the 19th, lasting until 6 a.m. the next day. Police have deployed personnel to ensure these measures are implemented.
This round of protests stems from public dissatisfaction with rising living costs, deteriorating public services, and the state of education. Last weekend, violent clashes and shop robberies occurred in several regions of France. The French Interior Ministry reported that approximately 2,400 people were arrested, nearly 1,000 police officers were injured, and one protestor died due to a cardiac arrest.
French President Macron rejected the resignation request put forward by Interior Minister Nunez on the 19th. He asked the minister to continue in office, take measures to stop riots and robberies, and investigate any mistakes in police intelligence gathering and predictive analysis.
On October 18th local time, French President Macron gave a televised speech, calling for not to confuse demands with violence, and stating that legal consequences would be imposed for any illegal acts involved.
Macron said that during the protests, French cities suffered "shocking" robberies and vandalism. "Seeing these scenes, we can't help but wonder: what are they thinking? How can French people treat France in such a way? There is no reason to justify such behavior, no reason to absolve it. Tonight, we are all feeling angry and ashamed."
He called on the French public to distinguish between those who express their demands in a reasonable manner and those who take advantage of the situation to cause damage and robbery, and promised that the legal responsibility will be pursued against those who commit such acts.
