France will deploy troops from its Sentinelle force to free police and gendarmes for crowd control at protests planned for Oct. 24, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez told lawmakers Tuesday.
Nuñez said the military personnel would cover some duties normally handled by internal security forces, giving police and gendarmes more capacity to maintain order. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu pledged what he called a “massive” police presence and said he wanted order restored quickly.
The Oct. 17 nationwide demonstrations focused on living costs and education funding and coincided with violent unrest. Lecornu blamed far-left and ultra-left fringe groups for what he described as an “insurrectionary plan” behind the violence. His allegation concerned the previous weekend’s unrest.
Four French tourism groups warned that the weekend violence could lead to trip cancellations and put local businesses and jobs at risk. They said disruption and concern threatened bookings and local economic activity.
The next protests are planned for Oct. 24.
