The French government has announced sweeping security measures, reinforcing the police and deploying the army, for fear of fresh protests. The preparations are for protests planned for Saturday. The government has also admitted that it failed to prevent violence and looting late last week.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said there would be unprecedented, large-scale security on Saturday. After rioting and looting in Paris, Marseille, Lyon and other cities on 17 October, restoring law and order is the government’s top priority for now, he said.
In a heated debate in parliament, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said the military would be deployed alongside the police. Facing fierce criticism across the country for failing to protect city centres, the government has also promised to overhaul its tactics.
Describing the crisis as a choice “between violence and the Republic”, Lecornu blamed the far left for the unrest. The far left, for its part, accuses the government of failing to take proper account of public anger over the rising cost of living and declining public services.
The scale of the clashes and the police’s visible inability to control them have shocked France. A presidential election is due next year, and the strong showing of far-right and far-left candidates in opinion polls has raised political tension further.
France had a relatively calm night after last weekend’s violence. The government said targeted curfews in some of the worst-hit areas had helped bring the situation under control. Police said these local restrictions, including some curfews aimed at children under 18, had been extended until Tuesday night.
Lecornu admitted that the government’s response at the weekend had fallen short. He named failures in gathering intelligence, static police deployments and the decision not to cancel police officers’ scheduled leave.
Nuñez apologised for the mistakes. “I am deeply sorry for what happened. I accept my share of the responsibility,” he said.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report