The French authorities will deploy army units to support police to control the escalated student protests. This was announced by Interior Minister Laurent Nunes, quoted by The Independent, reports News.bg.
Military personnel from Operation “Santill“ will take over some of the tasks of guarding stationary sites, freeing up police officers and gendarmes for actions to maintain public order.
“We will mobilize personnel from Operation “Santill“ to take over the functions of internal security forces - primarily for guarding stationary sites. This will free up police officers and gendarmes to carry out tasks related to maintaining public order,“ Nunes told deputies in the National Assembly.
The Interior Minister promised an extremely tough police response to the protests planned for Saturday. It is also planned to increase the number of security officers who will be involved in maintaining order during the demonstrations.
The protests grew due to dissatisfaction with the cost of living
The demonstrations in France began in mid-September, when schoolchildren and students took to the streets in the suburbs of Paris with demands for improving the condition of educational institutions.
Later, citizens dissatisfied with the rising cost of living joined the protesters. Gradually, the demonstrations spread to other regions of the country.
The largest demonstration took place on October 17, when a nationwide demonstration turned into riots and clashes. On that day, looters looted shops, smashed shop windows, set fires and clashed with the police.
According to the French Ministry of the Interior, about 550,000 people took part in the protests. Security forces used tear gas, stun grenades and water cannons to disperse the crowds.
Nunez took responsibility for the riots, Macron rejected his resignation
Laurent Nunez had previously admitted that the situation had gotten out of control. He noted that the number of police officers on the ground was not sufficient to control the crowds that had gathered.
The minister took responsibility for what happened and even offered to resign. However, President Emmanuel Macron refused to accept it.
Macron himself admitted that among the participants in the demonstrations there were not only radical elements, but also hundreds of thousands of citizens who were concerned about the rise in prices.
Against this background, the French authorities are preparing an increased presence of security forces before the next protests on Saturday, and the inclusion of army units should free up additional police resources to control possible new unrest.