OMM Newsroom
Up to 780,000 people were expected to join demonstrations across France on Thursday against the high cost of living, as authorities deployed 70,000 police officers and gendarmes, Anadolu Agency reported.
An inter-union group forecast between 500,000 and 700,000 demonstrators outside Paris and another 40,000 to 80,000 in the capital, according to French broadcaster BFMTV.
Workers, civil servants, retirees and members of the Yellow Vests movement were expected to join high school and university students in calling for higher wages and measures to improve purchasing power. The student protest movement began in mid-September.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said on Wednesday that security arrangements would be “exactly the same” as those used during demonstrations on Oct. 31.
Authorities were mobilizing 26 armored vehicles, around 15 water cannon vehicles, helicopters and drones, as well as specialist police units BRI, RAID and GIGN. Nunez said the deployment was intended to provide the “safest possible routes” while avoiding sensitive locations, particularly city centers.
In Paris, an administrative court upheld the police prefecture’s proposed route from Place de la République to Place de la Nation after organizers challenged it.
Unions and student organizations had initially proposed marching from Place de la Bastille to Place de la Concorde, near the National Assembly. Police banned that route, citing heightened social tensions and unrest in the capital on Oct. 17.
The strike was also expected to disrupt transport services across the country. National rail operator SNCF warned of moderate to severe disruption on regional services, along with interruptions on several suburban lines around Paris.
Long-distance services were expected to be less affected, with one in 10 high-speed TGV trains canceled.
