By Makini Brice and Dominique Vidalon
PARIS, Oct 23 (Reuters) - France will deploy 70,000 police backed by specialist units for protests on Saturday, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said on Friday, accusing ultra-left groups of encouraging violence and looting after unrest shocked the country last weekend.
The government is seeking to prevent a repeat of last week's demonstrations that descended into riots, looting and arson in several cities, triggering widespread criticism of authorities for not
preventing the mayhem.
"We will be uncompromising with rioters, looters and all those who commit acts of violence," Nunez told reporters on Friday after meetings involving President Emmanuel Macron, Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu and senior security officials.
Nunez said authorities had identified numerous online calls from hard-left groups encouraging attacks and urging activists to target public buildings.
"We are not talking about a nice, friendly demonstration," Nunez said, adding: "We are ready for tomorrow. We will be extremely vigilant, extremely firm, and we will let absolutely nothing pass."
MUSEUMS, MAJOR EVENTS SHUTTERED AS PRECAUTION
Anger over living costs and strained public services has drawn students, workers and unions onto the streets of France in recent weeks, but authorities say radical militants and bands of young looters have taken advantage of the dispute to sow chaos.
Police have authorised only a union demonstration in Paris on Saturday, rejecting requests for rallies lodged by France's main student union, UNEF, and the Yellow Vest movement, an anti-establishment force that first emerged in 2018.
Many French cities beyond Paris have also banned protests, including France's second and third largest cities, Marseille and Lyon.
UNEF said its rallies, which grew from high school protests last month against teacher shortages and shabby facilities, would go ahead regardless.
Fears of renewed turmoil prompted several of Paris' best-known cultural institutions, including the Louvre, to close on Saturday, while the city's normally bustling Art Basel fair will remain shut throughout the weekend.
Business groups also urged shops to stay shut after some 3,000 stores and businesses were ransacked last weekend.
Nunez said 10,000 more police would be on the streets than a week ago, while the specialist RAID and GIGN units, mounted police, helicopters, drones and anti-drone systems would be deployed across the country.
Armoured vehicles and water cannon vehicles would also be available, while curfews imposed in some sensitive areas this past week would remain in force.
FAR-RIGHT CONGRESS A POSSIBLE FLASHPOINT
Authorities are also concerned that the annual congress of Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally in Orleans this weekend could become a flashpoint, with left-wing and anti-racist groups announcing counter-demonstrations.
The upsurge of violence has boosted poll ratings for Le Pen, who is the frontrunner for next year's presidential election. She has portrayed the unrest as evidence of a collapse in state authority.
Adding to tensions, one person was killed and four injured in a shooting west of Paris on Friday in an attack that police said could be racially motivated.
Macron is due to meet student representatives later on Friday for the first time, seeking to de-escalate a crisis that has exposed deep social and political tensions.
Marylise Leon, the general secretary of the CFDT, one of the nation's largest trade unions, criticised him on Friday for refusing to grant permission to more rallies on Saturday.
"It's counterproductive because there is a lot of anger, a lot of anger and a demand to be considered and to be listened to," she told French broadcaster TF1. "It's not for the president to decide who can legitimately request to protest."
The social turbulence has intensified scrutiny of France's economic outlook and ratings agency Moody's is widely expected to cut the French credit rating on Friday, underscoring concern that the government had not reined in public spending.
(Reporting by Makini Brice, Dominique Vidalon and Alessandro Parodi in Paris and Charlotte Van Campenhout in Amsterdam; Writing by Crispian Balmer; editing by Philippa Fletcher)
