France: Prime Minister announces “massive” police deployment for Saturday’s protests

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu told the National Assembly that a “massive” police deployment would be in place for demonstrations planned across France on Saturday. He acknowledged that the response on October 17, a day marked by widespread violence and looting, had been too static and not mobile enough. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said the deployment would be upgraded in scale, personnel, responsiveness and mobility to counter groups accused of deliberately dispersing police forces.