Liberty Times reported early on the 30th that new protests are planned around Halloween night, October 31, and that the interior minister has called for a stronger security posture. After the unrest of October 17 and 24, authorities have promised an extremely robust deployment.
Liberty Times reported at about 2 a.m. Taiwan time on the 30th that France faces another wave of protests on Halloween night and that the interior minister wants security stepped up. This weekend is the third day of mobilization after October 17 and October 24. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez had told BFM TV on the 26th that the October 31 protests were again expected to be difficult.
광고 문의 · 300×250According to Reuters and the French parliamentary channel LCP, Nuñez said at the time that an extremely robust security arrangement would be put in place. Whether the Liberty Times report of the 30th contains any newly announced troop numbers or specific measures could not be confirmed in our reporting.
Chaos on the 17th, a controlled day on the 24th
The starting point of this protest cycle was October 17, when violence spread to dozens of cities and fears grew that the streets had slipped out of control. LCP said Nuñez himself called it a major failure. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu then announced partial curfews on the 19th.
On Saturday the 24th, unions marched over living costs and public services, and the interior ministry deployed 70,000 police. Nuñez said 1,435 people were arrested nationwide, more than 100 of them on suspicion of carrying objects that could serve as weapons, LCP reported. The minister called it a controlled day because there were no serious incidents, yet 267 police and gendarmes and 150 protesters were injured, three of them seriously. Reuters added that organized far-right groups appearing in Nice, Montpellier and elsewhere to target far-left activists was a new phenomenon for police.
The October 31 route and the government's calculation
The October 31 rally is called by the coordinating group of the so-called yellow vests. In Paris it is meant to start at Bastille at 2 p.m. and end in a sit-in at Place de la Concorde opposite the National Assembly. Sortiraparis reported that the Paris police prefecture did not approve the route and also rejected a separate one proposed by the union coalition; as of the 29th the unions had asked the administrative court for an emergency ruling, so the final route was not settled.
The government treats the restoration of order as a precondition for talks. Reuters reported that spokeswoman Maud Bregeon said the state had prevailed over the weekend and that calm was a prerequisite for dialogue. Protesters point to living costs and public services, while the head of CCI France said shops closed as a precaution and sales fell by about 80 percent. Reuters analyzed that President Macron, whose term ends next April, has little fiscal room for costly concessions.
Halloween brings outdoor events and heavy foot traffic, which could raise the security burden. The government says it wants both public safety and freedom of assembly, but critics of broad bans and those who put stopping violence first remain at odds. This paper will follow developments after October 31.
