Watch: Paris shops increase security, board up windows, as France braces for weekend protests

Shopkeepers in Paris are boarding up windows and securing their premises ahead of fresh anti-government protests scheduled across France on Saturday, a week after demonstrations escalated into violent riots that left thousands of businesses vandalised or looted.The unrest last weekend saw more than 2,500 people arrested across the country, while the French government said around 450 shops in Paris alone were damaged or looted.Businesses are now preparing for possible further disruption as authorities step up security measures and demonstrations are planned in several cities.At Place de la République in central Paris, shopfronts were left with shattered windows, graffiti-covered walls and burnt-out kiosks and bus shelters after the previous weekend's violence.Restaurant owner Abdul Mahmoud was quoted by NPR as saying that he watched in horror as people broke into his establishment, took drinks and emptied cash registers.“We all have a right to protest,” he said, “but vandalism, that's a different matter.”Shopkeepers take precautions as demonstrations approachBusinesses in Paris are preparing for the possibility of renewed violence, while shopkeepers in other French cities are also reinforcing their premises.In Lyon, workers were seen installing wooden panels and protective fencing outside City Hall, the Museum of Fine Arts and the Chamber of Commerce on Friday, Euronews reported.Shops along Rue de la République were also securing their windows with wooden boards.In Orléans, businesses along the planned protest route have taken similar precautions ahead of a weekend that will see the city host a congress of the far-right National Rally party.Around 20,000 to 30,000 protesters are expected to gather in opposition to the event, with nearly 3,000 police officers and security personnel due to be deployed, according to Euronews.The preparations come amid fears of further property damage.France deploys 70,000 police officersInterior minister Laurent Nuñez said around 70,000 police officers and gendarmes would be deployed across France over the weekend. The move follows criticism of the authorities' response to last weekend's unrest.“We will not let anything go unchallenged,” Nuñez said.He also warned that the government would be “uncompromising with the vandals, with the looters, and all those who commit acts of violence”.Authorities have imposed restrictions on demonstrations in several cities. French President Emmanuel Macron decreed earlier in the week that only demonstrations organised by recognised trade unions would be permitted on Saturday, while cities including Lyon, Nice and Montpellier announced broader bans on gatherings.Despite the restrictions, hundreds of demonstrations and other actions were planned across the country. A student union-led march in Paris was ordered to follow a route away from the city centre.The Louvre, Orsay and Picasso museums were due to close on Saturday, while a scheduled home match for football club Paris Saint-Germain was moved to Monday.Student protests widen amid cost-of-living angerThe protests began last month when high school students mobilised over conditions in schools.They subsequently expanded to include wider groups protesting against the rising cost of living.While some demonstrators have condemned looting and vandalism, others have defended the protests as a means of expressing anger over the government's policies.Nicolas Fournier, a 25-year-old who works at a cafe in Place de la République, told NPR that he supported the protests and was sympathetic towards some of those involved in looting.“People who steal, they are just getting what they didn't get from the government. I'm not mad at them at all,” he said, describing the moment as historic.“I think we're in a second French Revolution,” Fournier added.Macron met representatives of high school students on Friday ahead of the demonstrations. Although the representatives said he had made commitments to them, they urged students to continue mobilising.The unrest has also intensified political tensions ahead of France's 2027 presidential election.The National Rally's congress in Orléans is expected to draw thousands of party supporters, while left-wing groups are planning counter-protests.Authorities are now preparing for demonstrations across the country while businesses take precautions against a repeat of last weekend's destruction.You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.