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France will deploy 70,000 police officers and gendarmes in public spaces across the country ahead of nationwide protests on Saturday, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said Friday, according to Anadolu Agency.
Special units and aircraft to support deployment
Nunez said authorities would do everything necessary to prevent looting, violence and attacks on public buildings.
Saturday’s operation will combine resources and personnel, including services “that are not usually assigned to this type of mission,” he said. Specialized units, including elite units, have been mobilized and will be positioned in advance.
Specialized air and ground units, including drones and “a large number of helicopters,” will also be deployed across the Paris region and the rest of France, Nunez said.
He described the operation as designed to be “highly mobile, agile and forceful” and said all high-risk groups would be targeted.
Minister warns of firm response to violence
“I am also issuing a warning to those who might come and commit acts of violence: we will show no leniency. We will be extremely, extremely, extremely firm tomorrow,” Nunez told a press briefing.
He added that violence would result in numerous arrests. Dedicated units have been established in every department, including at the Paris Police Prefecture, to process arrests quickly and bring those detained before the courts without delay, he said.
