Paris: Interior Minister Warns October 31 Halloween Poses Very High Public-Order Risk as France Deploys 70,000 Security Forces Again

French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez told reporters on Thursday, October 29, that Saturday, October 31 - which coincides with Halloween - is looking like a very high risk day for public order, and that he would again deploy 70,000 security forces to try to safeguard the country, with an extremely firm response from security forces. According to Reuters, Nunez said several radical groups had called on social media for violent gatherings that day.

410,000 marched last Saturday; Saturday evening is the main worry

The Interior Ministry said 410,000 people took part in marches last Saturday, when 70,000 police were on duty, helping to avert a repeat of the looting and vandalism that swept many cities on October 17. Nunez said appeals for rallies were coming from the labour movement, the radicalised far left and certain radicalised Yellow Vest websites, urging people to gather on public streets in many French cities from 8:00 p.m. on October 31, with some messages he described as quite radical. He highlighted the risk of disorder on Saturday evening in particular, once more mainstream demonstrations had ended.

Paris weekend: Friday pot-banging protest, Saturday Act III, then a nationwide strike

The Paris weekend is already mapped out: the Yellow Vest coordination has called a pot-banging protest outside the National Assembly on Friday, October 30, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., and Saturday, October 31, is billed as Act III of the relaunched movement. Labour leaders and students have also urged further protests on October 31 and a nationwide strike on November 5, saying frustration over wages, living costs and public services was spreading far beyond the student movement that first mobilised last month.