AFP reported armored vehicles in Marseille and a Centaure near France’s National Assembly as demonstrations over living costs and school funding unfolded amid a 21.3% annual rise in energy prices.
The agency said armored vehicles and a water cannon were visible in Marseille. An AFP photo caption placed a Centaure near the Assembly in Paris. The reports did not give city-by-city vehicle counts.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez announced a nationwide plan on Oct. 23 for 70,000 police and gendarmes to be mobilized Saturday, including about 20 Centaure armored vehicles and 15 water-cannon vehicles. Those were nationwide plans; the ministry did not specify how many vehicles would go to Paris or Marseille. EconoTimes previously covered the security plan.
The Interior Ministry said RAID, BRI and GIGN units would also be deployed. It told prefects to review planned demonstrations and arrange checks at train stations and major roads. The ministry cited unrest on Oct. 17, when groups attacked public buildings, looted shops and assaulted security forces.
At a news conference Oct. 23, Nuñez said, “We will be uncompromising with vandals and looters,” in an English translation of his remarks in French.
September’s price data provide an economic backdrop to the rallies. France’s National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE) put the annual rise in overall consumer prices at 3.1%, while its energy measure increased 21.3%.
Security preparations also carried a cost for local businesses. AFP reported that Margaux Rey, manager of an Altermundi shop in Bordeaux, estimated the bill to board up five storefronts at nearly €5,000.
INSEE is scheduled to publish provisional October price data Friday, Oct. 30, followed by final figures Nov. 13.
