French Interior Minister Urges Police to Keep on Guard Before Protests in Paris

French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez warned Saturday of possible riots during demonstrations in Paris, urging police to remain very mobile and ready for reaction, the BFMTV broadcaster reported.

Speaking during a visit to the National Police Academy in Paris-Vincennes, Nunez said authorities had received considerable calls for disruptions from political movements and criminal groups.

There are considerable calls for divisions, coming from political movements or simply criminal groups, and we will have to remain extremely mobile, he said.

Nunez warned that different groups could try to provoke incidents by targeting businesses, institutions and security forces.

We know that we will probably have scattered groups trying to create incidents, whether it is targeting businesses, institutions or internal security forces, he said.

The minister called on police officers to remain extremely responsible and packaged while demonstrations were expected throughout the French capital.

I’m with you. I know who you are, what you’re facing and the violence you’re facing. You can count on my support, he told the officers, adding that their actions were proportional.

French students and protesters of the Jelecites are expected to hold demonstrations Saturday on the cost of living, including high fuel prices.

Last week, about 500,000 to 800,000 people took part in demonstrations across France, resulting in more than 2,500 arrests, while some protests became violent and led to riots and plunder.

Source Layer: Dukeagini