French authorities have arrested 135 individuals and deployed tear gas in several cities this Saturday, intensifying security measures across the country to prevent a repeat of the widespread rioting that caused damage to approximately 3,000 buildings last weekend. The office said, most arrests concerned suspected weapons offenses or participation in a group preparing violence or property damage. According to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, Earlier this week that preparations for the game had been made in consultation with U.S. and French authorities.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez stated that security forces confiscated a diverse array of items, including fireworks, slingshots, lead pellets, metal balls, improvised weapons, a katana, and airsoft equipment.
Despite the scale of the mobilization, which involves up to 70,000 officers equipped with water cannons, armored vehicles, and helicopters, Nuñez reported that no major incidents had occurred thus far.
In Lyon, where official demonstrations were explicitly banned, roughly 150 protesters attempted to obstruct a roadway near the city center, prompting police to fire tear gas. Similar dispersion tactics were employed against a separate group of approximately 1,000 people in the south of the city. Surveillance remained constant as police helicopters circled above, while riot vans and armored units conducted regular patrols. One 21-year-old student described the security presence as remarkably mobile. But about 150 protesters near the city’s center briefly tried to block a road, demonstrations had been banned in the southeast city of Lyon. Who spoke to the Agence France-Presse on the condition of anonymity, described authorities as “really mobile, a 21-year-old student. A student named Lucas told CBS Saturday Morning that he believed it was “normal for people to be angry. According to premier Giorgia Meloni announced a raft of measures, including sending an additional 500 soldiers to Milan and tougher penalties for minors, who police, Made up a large part of the violent protesters. Wounds several in possible terrorist act, wanted “to cause a bloodbath,” officials say, gunman in Paris suburb kills 1. In Rome, authorities locked down luxury shopping streets and stepped up patrols around key sites. Several hundred students demonstrated peacefully in the historic city.
The unrest extended to other regions, with thousands of demonstrators in Nantes successfully breaking through police lines to enter the city center. Officers utilized both water cannons and tear gas in response. Similar measures were reported by local media in Clermont-Ferrand, Strasbourg, and Nice, while police in Marseille deployed tear gas during localized clashes with groups of demonstrators.
Paris maintained a more constrained environment, with authorities designating a single authorized march at the Porte d’Italie. Although organizers from labor unions, student groups, and left-wing parties originally intended to gather at the Bastille, they reluctantly accepted the police-mandated change in location. Union representative Murielle Guilbert criticized the restriction as scandalous, emphasizing that the turnout reflected deep-seated social anger regarding stagnant wage levels and a perceived lack of government responsiveness. And a massive turnout is expected again after more than half a million took to the streets last week, the nationwide demonstrations are focused on the high cost of living. Including labor unions, left-wing parties and student groups, had called for a protest against Le Pen’s nationalist, anti-immigration party, about 50 organizations. According to the Paris prosecutor’s office, 64 people had been arrested and 40 placed in police custody, including six minors. Quite obviously, because there is immense social anger in this country, and because wages have still not been increased to the level they should be,” she added, we are here today. The front of the march ended without incident.
Official estimates placed attendance at the Paris march at 110,000 people. Throughout the capital, the impact of the ongoing tension was visible; major museums remained closed, and shopkeepers boarded up businesses with wooden panels to prevent further looting. While the prestigious Art Basel fair opened briefly on Friday, it did not continue through the weekend. Sporting events also faced disruption, with a scheduled soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Olympique Lyonnais postponed to Monday, though the NFL game between the New Orleans Saints and the Pittsburgh Steelers remains on the schedule for Sunday. A pop-up NFL shop and the “NFL House,” where the Super Bowl trophy is on display and community sessions and events were scheduled, were closed Saturday. Parisian shopkeepers have been barricading their stores all week. Urging participants to keep their faces uncovered and their hands visible, organizers of peaceful events sought to distance themselves from potential unrest.
In a separate political development, thousands gathered in Orleans to protest a congress held by Marine Le Pen’s National Rally party. Demonstrators expressed opposition to both Le Pen, who is launching her presidential campaign to succeed Emmanuel Macron, and the current administration. The crowd chanted for Macron’s resignation and Le Pen’s imprisonment, with organizers claiming 26,000 participants while police estimated the attendance at 11,000. And surveys show Le Pen is best-placed to win, elections will be held in six months. Le Pen in prison,” the crowd yelled, according to the AFP.
Looking ahead, the Yellow Vests, a movement that first emerged eight years ago, have scheduled additional demonstrations for October 31.
Organizers are calling for sit-ins outside of government buildings nationwide, citing concerns over the perceived authoritarian drift of the current government.
These events are part of a broader wave of European unrest, with protests regarding issues like housing, pensions, education, and corruption also occurring in countries such as Italy and Albania.
In Tirana, police used water cannons to subdue protesters who had thrown projectiles during an opposition-led march outside the Prime Minister’s office. Some on the fringes of the demonstration threw projectiles and aimed fireworks at officers.
