Up to 70,000 police mobilized to curb violence at France protests – National– globalnews.ca

PARIS (AP) — France deployed thousands of police Saturday for fresh protests over school funding and soaring living costs, seeking to prevent another weekend of looting, burned cars and attacks on public buildings. In Paris, authorities restricted the main march to the city’s southeastern edge, keeping it away from the center.

Thousands of people were already marching Saturday afternoon in Orléans, south of Paris, in a separate protest against the far right as Marine Le Pen’s National Rally held a two-day congress in the city.

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said up to 70,000 officers would be deployed nationwide, backed by helicopters, armored vehicles and water cannons.

What began last month as a protest over staff shortages at one high school southeast of Paris has grown into a national movement. Students demanding better schools and workers seeking higher wages and pensions have brought anger over living standards into the final months of President Emmanuel Macron’s presidency.