France braces for third weekend of protests amid Halloween mask fears

France mobilized 70,000 security personnel on Saturday for a third consecutive weekend of protests coinciding with Halloween, as authorities sought to prevent a repeat of the violent clashes and widespread looting that erupted across the country two weeks ago. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez expects street violence on a scale "comparable" to the October 17 unrest, when images of clashes and public buildings set ablaze were broadcast worldwide, an aide to the minister said. A police source pointed to "considerable nervousness" among the authorities, noting that "there is no reason to think this will go smoothly" despite the massive deployment and the closure of more than 40 metro stations in Paris.

Political backdrop

The demonstrations unfold in an increasingly volatile political climate six months ahead of presidential elections, with far-right leader Marine Le Pen leading opinion polls. President Emmanuel Macron told reporters this week that it was "not normal" for France to experience such "turmoil" so close to a national vote, according to his office. The protest movement brings together Yellow Vest activists, trade unions, and high school students who initially rallied against rising living costs and deteriorating learning conditions.

Halloween mask fears

Alain Di Crescenzo, president of France's chamber of commerce, said business owners were boarding up storefronts across the country ahead of the demonstrations. "Shopkeepers can't wait for Saturday to be over," Di Crescenzo told broadcaster France Inter, adding that "the information we have is that Halloween is not helping matters, because we're going to have people wearing masks." Nunez warned that protesters would not be allowed to wear masks concealing their faces, citing social media calls for a "night of darkness" and Halloween gatherings urging demonstrators to spark a "revolution."

The unrest followed weeks of demonstrations by high school students campaigning for better learning conditions, and comes after a shooting outside Paris last week killed one person and wounded seven — mostly foreign nationals — triggering rallies against the normalisation of racist hatred. A night-time curfew will be imposed in the Republique and Chatelet-Les Halles neighbourhoods from 11:00 pm to 6:00 am on Saturday and Sunday, while authorities restricted tram services throughout the capital to limit movement.