Paris’ major museums closed and authorities deployed a sizeable police force for a round of new protests across France on Saturday, hoping to prevent a repeat of last week’s violent riots that shocked the country. French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said up to 70,000 officers will be deployed across the country, along with helicopters, armored vehicles and water cannons. Massive turnout is again expected after more than half a million people took to the streets last week. Shops on the Champs-Elysees are barricading themselves ahead of planned protests in Paris, France, on October 23, 2026. Luc Auffret/Anadolu via Getty Images Major museums, including the Louvre, the Orsay Museum, the Picasso Museum and the Grand Palais, where a Cézanne exhibition is on display, are closed on Saturday. Art Basel, one of the world’s most prestigious contemporary art fairs, opened to the public on Friday, but only for the day, and the threat of riots led organizers to cancel the weekend programme. Parisian merchants have been blocking their stores all week. Near the Place de la République in Paris, one of last weekend’s hot spots, a bank branch and other businesses were boarded up with wood panels to deter potential looters. Some 3,000 stores across France were damaged or looted last weekend. Demonstrations first broke out last month when high school students in southeast Paris protested for better conditions, but quickly spread across the country as people took to the streets to demand relief from the rising cost of living. Protesters march through central Paris amid fires, smoke, police deployments and clashes during nationwide demonstrations against the high cost of living, on October 17, 2026 in Paris, France. Firas Abdullah/Anadolu via Getty Images Protest marches have been scheduled in Paris and Marseille, but local authorities have banned other demonstrations, including Lyon, Nice and Montpellier. Cities outside Paris were severely affected by the riots. In Limoges, a suspected arson attack almost destroyed the 19th-century town hall. Some 50 organizations have called for a protest against the far-right on the sidelines of the two-day congress of Marine Le Pen’s nationalist, anti-immigration party ahead of next spring’s presidential election. Some 50 organizations have called for a protest against the far-right on the sidelines of the two-day congress of Marine Le Pen’s nationalist, anti-immigration party ahead of next spring’s presidential election. Organizers include unions, left-wing parties and student groups. More from CBS News Go deeper with The Free Press in:
