France deploys 70,000 officers, armored vehicles as protests continue despite ban

French authorities imposed restrictions on demonstrations Saturday (local time) to prevent a repeat of recent violence, but student and labor union protests continued under heavy police supervision across the country. Demonstrators rallied against inadequate public investment and soaring prices.

Some 70,000 police officers were deployed nationwide, backed by helicopters and armored vehicles, as protests proceeded region by region under tight security, according to Yonhap, AFP and the AP. President Emmanuel Macron had earlier announced a ban on all demonstrations except authorized union marches, and local authorities in several areas issued full or partial prohibitions on gatherings.

In Paris, a union march had originally been permitted to proceed eastward from the Place de la Bastille, but police ordered demonstrators at the last minute to relocate to Porte d'Italie in the southeastern outskirts, far from the city center.

Protesters marched carrying signs reading "If we burn, you burn with us" and "The earth is burning and our future is burning with it." Paris police said they had confiscated "various prohibited items" by noon but described the overall situation as largely calm.

Metro stations across central Paris were closed. The Louvre Museum, the Musée d'Orsay and other major cultural institutions shut for the day, and Art Basel Paris, the international art fair, closed early on Friday.

Shops ranging from luxury boutiques to grocery stores boarded up their windows, cleared merchandise from display shelves and braced for vandalism and looting; some hired private security guards.

The Yellow Vest movement announced a further protest for Oct. 31. A representative of the group told reporters at the Place de la Bastille: "We will demonstrate for the freedom to protest — for the freedom of us all."

In Lyon, where demonstrations were banned outright, about 150 people gathered near universities and a police station and attempted to block roads in defiance of the ban. Police responded by firing tear gas to disperse the crowd. Helicopters circled overhead while armored vehicles and riot police vehicles lined the streets.

In Nantes, protesters took to the streets to demonstrate against high prices and to demand protection of public services and fiscal and social justice.

In Orléans, where the far-right National Rally — led by presidential frontrunner Marine Le Pen — held its party congress through Sunday, an anti-far-right rally drew crowds. Demonstrators chanted slogans against both Le Pen and President Macron, calling for "Macron to resign, Le Pen to prison." Banners read "Youth tells the National Rally to get lost" and "Hotter than fascists."

Police put attendance at the anti-far-right rally at 11,000, while organizers claimed 26,000.