France will deploy about 70,000 officers as demonstrators return nationwide on Saturday. Museum closures and cancelled art events underline fears of renewed violence.Image used for representational purposes onlyParis,Oct 23, 2026 18:32 ISTFrance will deploy around 70,000 law enforcement officers across the country on Saturday as authorities prepare for renewed violence during protests over the high cost of living, news agency Press Trust of India reported.The Louvre and several other major museums in Paris will remain closed as a precaution.
The security measures follow protests last week that descended into violence, with fires, attacks on public buildings, smashed shop windows, looting and clashes with police.Students, members of the CGT labour union and activists from the Yellow Vest movement are expected to join Saturday's demonstrations. The Yellow Vest movement led protests against social injustice across France in 2018 and 2019.According to PTI, French Interior Minister Laurent Nuez said about 70,000 police officers and gendarmes would be deployed along with helicopters, armoured vehicles and water cannons.
Elite police units will also help protect public buildings, including city halls, as part of a highly mobile security operation. "There have been numerous calls from radical far-left groups on social media to commit acts of violence and vandalism. There have also been renewed calls for looting, with those messages clearly being spread by rioters," Nuez said at a news conference."We will be absolutely uncompromising" with those involved in violence, he said, warning that police would take a "very firm approach to making arrests, and there will be legal consequences".
The Culture Ministry said the Louvre, the Orsay and Picasso museums, and the Grand Palais would remain closed. It asked all institutions under its authority to take necessary measures to ensure "visitor safety, staff protection and the preservation of artworks".After allowing entry by invitation only for two days, Art Basel Paris opened to the public on Friday.
However, it was scheduled to remain open for only one day after organisers cancelled the weekend programme because of the threat of unrest.Art Basel, one of the world's leading contemporary art fairs, includes exhibitions by 211 international galleries at the Grand Palais. "This decision has not been taken lightly, and the safety of everyone involved in the fair remains our utmost priority," the organisers said in a statement.Saloni Doshi, an art collector who travelled from India to Paris for the fair, said she became worried after seeing fires and panicked people last Saturday. She also received calls from friends asking whether Paris was safe and agreed with the organisers' decision to close the fair.Gallery owners Antoine Donzeaud and Elisa Rigoulet also supported the move. "We understand this decision, which we consider reasonable and consistent with the urgency of the social demands currently unfolding in France," they said in a text message.France is preparing for Saturday's protests with a large security deployment, while museums and the Art Basel weekend programme will remain closed amid concerns over a repeat of last week's violence.With PTI Inputs- Ends