The Minister of Interior said that Halloween night gatherings are prohibited and that parades in city centers will not be allowed, adding that 70,000 personnel will be deployed to ensure security.

Laurent Nuñez, France’s Minister of the Interior, assessed the risk of disruption to public order on Saturday, 9 Aban as “very high,” and announced that around 70,000 police and gendarmes would be deployed, with protection of shops also being strengthened.

The French interior minister said that a permitted march is allowed, but not in city centers, and that Halloween night gatherings would be “prohibited.”

He described the security forces’ response as “very firm” and emphasized that “we will not tolerate any excess.” The parade route in many cities is still under discussion.

The protests began over high prices and inequality and then turned into criticism of the police’s use of force, as well as students’ demands regarding study conditions. The gilets jaunes and student unions called for the gathering on Saturday.

Nationwide gatherings on 25 Mehr turned into one of the most violent periods of unrest in recent years in France, leading to looting and destruction. A second march on Aban 2 passed without any major incident, even though violence occurred on the sidelines.