France deploys elite police units at protests
French authorities are deploying elite police and gendarmerie units to ensure security during a new wave of protests on October 24. The level of mobilization of law enforcement forces will be 20 percent higher than a week earlier.
As TASS reports, this was stated by the minister-delegate to the head of France's Interior Ministry, Jean-Didier Berger, on the BFMTV channel.
According to him, servicemen from the Sentinelle ("Sentry") counterterrorism operation will also be involved in providing security. In addition, the authorities intend to use helicopters and armored vehicles. Berger also reported that the Interior Ministry had recalled staff from vacation.
On October 17, 60,000 police officers and gendarmes were mobilized to maintain order across the country. On that day, mass demonstrations against rising fuel prices and a decline in the population's purchasing power took place in Paris and throughout France. According to the organizers' estimates, 800,000 people took part in them, while the Interior Ministry counted 550,000, which was twice the forecasts of analysts from the security agencies.
In some cities, the protests escalated into riots and clashes with police. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez promised that the authorities would continue to prosecute all participants in the pogroms and looting.
