French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu will review a police deployment plan Oct. 22 amid calls for demonstrations on Oct. 24, as his government meets unions over living costs and protest safety.
Lecornu told lawmakers Oct. 20 that Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez had instructed prefectures to prepare for a large security operation. He gave no figure for the planned deployment.
Lecornu said the Oct. 21 union meeting would address protest safety, purchasing power and possible fuel measures. The talks follow Oct. 17 demonstrations over living costs and school conditions. Lawmakers also pressed the government about teachers’ demands, wages and prices.
Nuñez said the planned change to Sentinelle guard duties would place soldiers at fixed sites, leaving police and gendarmes available for crowd control.
Officials are considering restrictions on some marches, Nuñez said. Authorities could bar an undeclared demonstration they judge likely to threaten public order. A declared march could also be prohibited if its organizers cannot adequately assure order.
Prefects imposed local curfews after the Oct. 17 violence, Lecornu said. He described the earlier security deployment as too static, while Nuñez said the deployment had been out of step with the number of participants. Nuñez cited unrest in July 2023 when discussing the mobilization of additional units.
Education Minister Édouard Geffray said the consultation platform for high school students would close Oct. 23. Its findings are due to be presented to the wider education community early next week.
