France tightens security ahead of Halloween protests

Paris, Oct 30 (EFE).- France is preparing for another day of nationwide protests on Saturday, with authorities warning of a potentially tense night after detecting social media calls for violent demonstrations that could use Halloween festivities as cover.

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said police expected to maintain heightened surveillance throughout the night after detecting calls for people to attend violent gatherings from 8 p.m. dressed in Halloween costumes.

He said such gatherings would be systematically banned, as would the wearing of masks, which authorities fear could be used by troublemakers to conceal their identities.

«The pretext of Halloween night will not be a legitimate reason to hide one’s face in public spaces,» Nuñez said, describing the combination of the festivities and the protest movement as an «exceptional» challenge for security forces.

The minister blamed the calls for violence on the far left, saying some groups were seeking to exploit the festive atmosphere to stage what he described as «extremely violent» demonstrations and disrupt public order.

Many of the gatherings are being organized through Bitchat, a messaging platform that is harder for police to monitor because it operates without an internet connection.

Downloads of the application have surged in recent days, according to authorities.

The Halloween-related threats add to the security challenges facing the government, which is already dealing with trade union demonstrations and «yellow vest» protests over the rising cost of living and deteriorating public services.

These movements have converged with a wave of student protests that began more than three weeks ago, keeping France in a state of heightened social tension six months before the presidential election.

Tensions peaked on Oct. 17, when violent groups took advantage of demonstrations to carry out vandalism and looting in cities across the country.

The burning of Limoges city hall, damage to public buildings in Marseille and the Lyon tourist office, and attacks on around 3,000 shops nationwide sparked widespread shock.

The unrest also prompted Nuñez to offer his resignation, which President Emmanuel Macron rejected.

Although a larger police deployment last weekend and bans on demonstrations in the centers of major cities helped limit further unrest, the government is maintaining its high-alert posture.

Up to 70,000 officers deployed

Up to 70,000 police and gendarmes are expected to be deployed across the country, supported by specialist units, drones, helicopters, mounted and canine teams, and armored vehicles. The security operation is expected to be similar to last weekend’s.

Local authorities have also restricted demonstrations to designated areas, keeping protesters out of major city centers.

The measures have angered organizers, who accuse the government of trying to silence dissent.

In Paris, unions had requested permission to march between Bastille and Nation squares, but the police prefecture assigned them a route farther east, away from the city center.

The «yellow vests» had sought to go further by setting up a camp outside the National Assembly, a plan ruled out by police authorities.

Similar restrictions in other cities have opened a new dispute between unions, student groups and «yellow vest» protesters and the government, which is also facing pressure from shopkeepers demanding that the violence of Oct. 17 not be repeated.

The government’s tough security stance appears to have further angered demonstrators, who say they remain determined to turn out in large numbers.

Organizers expect attendance to match the previous two Saturdays, when they estimated around 800,000 participants. Police put the figure at roughly half a million.

The interior ministry acknowledged that turnout could again reach those levels on Saturday, but said its main concern remained the risk of violence by radical groups.

Student groups and unions have called for the authorities to stop using certain police weapons, including dispersal grenades, which they say have left several protesters with mutilating injuries in recent days.

Nuñez has defended their use as necessary to contain radical groups. EFE

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