Jakarta, ThedailyID — France is preparing for potential unrest ahead of Halloween weekend, with around 70,000 police officers set to be deployed nationwide as authorities brace for large-scale demonstrations on Saturday, October 31.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez warned on Thursday, October 29, that the country faces a significant risk of public disorder. He said authorities had identified calls on social media encouraging people to gather on Halloween night under the slogan of a “revolution.”
“October 31 presents a very high risk of public disorder,” Nuñez said, as quoted by Le Monde. He added that gatherings linked to these calls would be prohibited.
The Yellow Vests movement and French student unions have called for renewed protests on Saturday. The demonstrations are expected to take place two weeks after unrest on October 17, when shops were looted and several buildings were damaged or set on fire.
Nuñez said some of the online calls had been circulated by radical left-wing groups and Yellow Vests activists whom authorities described as having become radicalized.
France has experienced widespread demonstrations since late September. The initial protests were reportedly organized by students criticizing the country’s education system, particularly conditions in schools located in suburban areas.
The demonstrations later expanded to include other groups, with public frustration increasingly focused on the rising cost of living and social inequality.
The planned Halloween gatherings are expected to test France’s security response as authorities prepare for another weekend of demonstrations across the country.
