Paris (France) (AFP) – Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez announced on Friday the renewal of a “security” system in view of Saturday’s demonstrations. 70,000 police officers and gendarmes will be deployed throughout the territory on the occasion of this new day of mobilization at the initiative of trade union and youth organizations as well as the yellow vests.

Published on: 06/11/2026 - 19:18 Modified on: 06/11/2026 - 22:43

Two days after an intense day of social mobilization, the police are preparing for a new Saturday of social discontent, with demonstrations planned throughout France.

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez announced Friday, November 6 that 70,000 police and gendarmes will be deployed throughout the country.

“For tomorrow, the situation is a little different from that which we experienced yesterday to the extent that we have fewer declarations from representative trade union organizations”, with “calls for gatherings” without “necessarily a structured organizer, which carries a little more risk”, detailed the minister during a press conference in Paris.

See alsoStrikes and demonstrations in France: power under pressure?

Thursday, November 5, the unions claimed a participation of more than 1.5 million people. The authorities have identified 575,000 demonstrators, including 65,000 in Paris.

For Saturday, the minister reported calls, on social networks, "for violence against internal security forces", "public buildings", "businesses" with "looting", as well as "calls for revolution, insurrection, ultra-left or far-radical left movements". He also mentioned calls for “blockages of traffic routes” in the morning and “structuring routes”.

The risk “is exactly the same as for previous Saturdays”, estimated Laurent Nuñez.

The security system is therefore "renewed in volume and operational doctrine", i.e. 70,000 "staff", he announced.

This system has been in place for social mobilization days since October 24. On Saturday October 17, which turned into chaos with numerous looting, damage and violence in several cities in France, 60,000 police and gendarmes were on the ground.

The 25 Centaure, the armored vehicles of the gendarmerie, will be mobilized on Saturday, as will “15 water-throwing devices” throughout the territory, as well as drones and helicopters, the minister said.

In a telegram sent Friday to the prefects and consulted by AFP, the minister "asks them not to let their guard down in the face of more fragmented or even sporadic phenomena whose level of violence will not decrease in intensity."

Furthermore, "the risk of wild processions and blockages (public buildings, roads or railways, etc.) is increased for the day of November 7", he continues, calling again for "a robust operational system (...) which must be powerful, responsive and agile".

Numerous upstream checks will be carried out "on road flows, on railway routes and in stations", warned Laurent Nuñez during his press conference.

“The prefects have issued orders prohibiting demonstrations in city centers” and “obviously, city centers tomorrow (Saturday, Editor’s note) will be systematically protected,” he added.

“If there were to be thugs and looters, (...) we will wait for them firmly,” he threatened, assuring that “those who want to demonstrate peacefully, in complete safety, we will supervise them and we will ensure that the freedom to demonstrate can be expressed normally”.

On Thursday, a total of 642 people were arrested during demonstrations across the country, according to the minister.

With AFP

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