France Deploys 70,000 Police After Suspected Terror Attack Near Paris

A suspected terrorist attack near Paris on Friday has heightened tensions across France as the country braces for the possibility of more violence Saturday.

President Emmanuel Macron’s government plans to deploy 70,000 law enforcement officers nationwide, supported by helicopters, armored vehicles and water cannons, in an effort to prevent another weekend of violent protests.

Ahead of the weekend, Macron said authorities would ban demonstrations requested by individuals or groups without legitimate authorization. He made the comments after canceling a planned trip to Nigeria and Senegal next week.

“The rules are simple, and I think they’re just common sense,” Macron said. “The general recommendation is that there should be no demonstrations in the coming days.”

Macron said prefects would review demonstration requests submitted by trade unions under existing law, but added that authorities would propose alternative routes to protect city centers, businesses and public buildings.

Security concerns intensified after a suspected terrorist attack in Trappes, west of Paris. Police arrested a 39-year-old man after one person was killed and four others, including a 12-year-old girl, were wounded in what was initially described as a “relatively random” shooting.

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez later told local media that the motive may have been racist. “The investigation is ongoing, but this is clearly a terrorist crime,” he said.

According to AFP, the suspect appeared to fire randomly from a vehicle. The mayor told reporters that the victim who died and at least one of those wounded were “of African origin.”

Macron said the nation was standing with the victims and their families during what he called a “terrible ordeal.”

Nuñez said his ministry was prepared for Saturday’s protests. After acknowledging that police had “lost control” during the previous weekend’s unrest, he pledged that officers would be “extremely vigilant, extremely firm” and would “let absolutely nothing pass.”

Reuters reported that the Union Nationale des Étudiants de France, or UNEF, one of France’s oldest student unions, intends to hold its planned rallies despite police rejecting its permit requests. Authorities have approved only a union demonstration in Paris so far, while denying requests from UNEF and the Yellow Vest movement, the anti-establishment group that emerged in 2018.

Macron also criticized groups he said were responsible for the violence, accusing “ultra-left groups” of carrying out “political and seditious acts” aimed at bringing down the Republic.

Fabian Vanhemelryck, secretary general of the Alliance Police Nationale union, said earlier this week that political figures shared responsibility for the unrest. He criticized those who “excuse the inexcusable, justify violence and prefer to overwrite police officers rather than condemn those who attack them.”

Vanhemelryck also accused the state of abandoning police officers as violence becomes increasingly uninhibited, while still expecting them to accept the situation, remain silent and continue holding the line.

The Louvre and Musée d’Orsay will close ahead of Saturday’s planned protests, while 24 Paris Metro stations will also shut. A Ligue 1 match between Paris Saint-Germain and Olympique Lyonnais, scheduled for Sunday night at Parc des Princes, has been postponed until Monday evening.

The NFL game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints, scheduled for Sunday afternoon at Stade de France just north of central Paris, remains set to go ahead. However, several events planned around the game have been canceled.

The Stade de France is the same stadium that hosted an international soccer match between France and neighboring Germany during the Nov. 13, 2015 terror attacks. 

Explosions were heard outside the stadium during the game that night, with then-French President François Hollande in attendance. Fans were held inside the stadium for hours while authorities dealt with the attacks unfolding around Paris that night.