Paris moves Saturday march to city edge as police deploy 70,000 officers

Paris shifted its main protest route to the city's southeastern perimeter on Friday.

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez stated that up to 70,000 police officers will be deployed across France for Saturday's demonstrations.

The security force will include helicopters, armored vehicles, and water cannons.

Officers changed the march path from the planned route between Bastille and Nation.

Demonstrators are now confined to the area between Porte d'Italie and Porte de Vincennes.

A few dozen gendarmes were posted beneath the Arc de Triomphe and along nearby avenues in central Paris.

Last week's protests drew more than 500,000 people and left shops looted and vehicles burned.

Student groups released a joint 10-point plan calling for 250,000 additional higher education places.

The plan also demands an end to selection through the Parcoursup admissions system.

Students want an extra 200 euros per month in grants and a rent freeze in public housing.

Unions are demanding higher wages and pensions to help households with rising living costs.

The movement began last month over staff shortages at a high school southeast of Paris but has expanded to include university access and cost of living issues. About 3,000 shops across France were damaged or looted during the previous weekend's unrest. Cultural venues including the Louvre, Musée d'Orsay, and the Grand Palais are closed for Saturday. Art Basel opened to the public Friday for one day but cancelled its weekend program. Contractor Akram Ahmed, 34, boarded up an optician's shop near Saint-Lazare station. "I got the call last night," Ahmed said, noting the owner told him he was saving his life. Local authorities banned marches in Lyon, Nice, and Montpellier. French media reported police used tear gas in Lyon on Saturday morning. Trade unions criticized the bans as violations of constitutional freedom of expression. Two suspects in the fire that nearly destroyed the 19th-century city hall in Limoges are under formal investigation and held pending trial. The probe includes attempted murder of a public official. Paris police prefect Patrice Faure urged shopkeepers to hire security guards before clarifying that protecting businesses is the government's responsibility. President Emmanuel Macron said the measures are needed to protect city centers, businesses, and public buildings. His popularity is at its lowest point since taking office in 2017. In Orléans, thousands gathered for an anti-far-right protest alongside a congress of Marine Le Pen's party. Victoria Ambrosini, an art teacher at Saint-Denis University, said money is now "concentrated in the hands of very few people" and that "it's not possible anymore." The next presidential election is scheduled for next spring.