French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said on Friday that 70,000 police and gendarmes will be deployed to respond to possible violence in large-scale protests planned to take place on Saturday.
About 20 armored vehicles and 15 water cannon vehicles will also be deployed to combine mobility with deterrence and curb looting, vandalism of public buildings and attacks on security forces, Nunez said.
He said on Tuesday that troops from Operation Sentinelle will reinforce the police and gendarmes as static guard forces.
France saw nationwide demonstrations on October 17 over the rising cost of living and poor public services, with violence in some cities. Some protesters claimed to return to the streets on Saturday.
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday that demonstrations not organized by trade unions would be banned, while union-led ones may be rerouted to protect city-center businesses and public buildings.
Paris has banned some demonstrations from the city center, and Marseille and Lyon have banned all protests on Saturday.
The Louvre, Orsay Museum, the Picasso Museum and the Orangerie Museum will close on Saturday, and the three-day Art Basel Paris 2026 exhibition at the Grand Palace ended two days early on Friday.
France to deploy 70,000 security forces for Saturday protest
France to deploy 70,000 security forces for Saturday protest
The U.S. consumer sentiment kept falling in October for the third month in a row, as purchasing power continued to dominate consumer views of the economy, according to findings of a survey released on Friday.
The final reading released by the University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers showed that the Index of Consumer Sentiment weakened to 48 in the October 2026 survey, 0.2 percent below September, and 10.4 percent below a year ago. The index was also 15 percent less than in February, just prior to the Iran conflict.
The Current Economic Conditions Index fell to 46.7, down from 50.9 in September and below last October's 58.6. The Index of Consumer Expectations inched up slightly to 48.8 from 46.3 in September, but was still below last October's 50.3.
Year-ahead inflation expectations in October ticked up from 4.6 percent in September to 4.7 percent. Long-run inflation expectations also stepped up from 3.4 percent in September to 3.5 percent. Inflation expectations over both time horizons increased for the second straight month to their highest readings since May.
The survey noted that Americans' dissatisfaction with how high prices are affecting their living standards continued to grow. In October, the share of consumers reporting that high prices are dragging down their personal finances rose for the fourth consecutive month to 56 percent, up from 45 percent in January.
US consumer sentiment continues to slip in October over inflation
