Fears of violence as France braces for Halloween protests

France prepared on Saturday for a third consecutive weekend of protests coinciding with Halloween. Shops have boarded up as authorities attempt to prevent a recurrence of the street violence that occurred two weeks ago. The movement, which began with high school students protesting school conditions, has expanded to include anger over living costs.

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez warned of a very high risk of disorder, particularly after dark on Halloween. To protect shops, President Emmanuel Macron stated that marches would remain out of city centers. In Paris, police banned union and yellow vest marches through the city center, directing them instead to a single route along the capital's outer boulevards from Porte de Bagnolet to Porte de Charenton.

Authorities have deployed 70,000 police and gendarmes to manage the demonstrations. Entry to the Place de la Republique and Les Halles has been barred from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday nights. Additionally, unaccompanied minors face a 9 p.m. curfew around the Champs-Elysees, though a Paris court previously suspended an earlier curfew on minors.

Brief written by urgent.news from The Local France, Le Monde English, France 24, The Mainichi, Daily Times — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.