France deploys 70,000 security personnel for protests

France deployed a planned force of about 70,000 police and gendarmes nationwide on Saturday as demonstrations resumed following violent unrest the previous weekend. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez announced the security operation, which included helicopters, armoured vehicles and water cannons, as authorities sought to prevent further looting and attacks on public buildings. Protests took place in Paris and other cities over school conditions and the rising cost of living. In Paris, the main union march was held amid a dispute over its route: police replaced the planned Bastille-to-Nation route with one between Porte d’Italie and Porte de Vincennes. Organisers said they intended to proceed along the original route, and trade unions challenged the change. The route ultimately used was not established in the accounts of the demonstrations. Authorities also restricted gatherings in several locations. In Lyon, police used tear gas as demonstrators defied a local ban, according to reports. Marseille’s restrictions were not uniform: authorities had banned planned protests, but an exception allowed a union-organised demonstration. In Orléans, officials expected 20,000 to 30,000...