France mounts huge security operation as protesters prepare to march

French security forces fanned out across Paris on Saturday ahead of protests that authorities fear could turn violent, with Interior Minister Laurent Nunez urging police to be “hyper-reactive” against troublemakers and looters. Soldiers from an anti-terrorism military unit patrolled the Champs-Elysees avenue while police vans circled the Arc de Triomphe, looking to protect some of the capital’s most famous sites from any repeat of the unrest that shook France last week. Nunez has mobilised 70,000 police nationwide for Saturday’s demonstrations, 10,000 more than on October 17, when a wave of vandalism and looting raised questions about the government’s ability to maintain order.

Anger over living costs and strained public services has drawn students, workers and unions onto the streets in recent weeks, but authorities say radical militants and bands of young looters have exploited the protests to sow chaos. Speaking to police in Paris, Nunez warned officers that they would face attempts to target shops, public institutions and security forces. “We have to be ultra, ultra responsive. We have significant calls for disruption from political groups and quite simply from criminals,” he said. “It is going to be a long day. ” SHOPS, MUSEUMS, OPERA SHUT Many shopkeepers in Paris boarded up storefronts, while luxury retailers beefed up security. Business groups have urged stores to remain closed after thousands of shops and businesses were damaged or looted across France last weekend. Lidiya Shevchenko, a sales assistant at a Graziella Braccialini store in Paris, said she doubted many customers would venture out to browse luxury boutiques during the day. “I suppose the mood is just as important when it comes to shopping,” she said. Several of Paris’ best-known cultural…