The "Yellow West" protests also have an impact on tourism, which is an important economic pillar of France: for safety reasons, major attractions in Paris will be closed on Saturday, as rallies are again feared in announced demonstrations.
Visitors to the capital must avoid visits to the Eiffel Tower, the Opera or any of the museums - including the world-famous Louvre and the Musée d'Orsay. In addition, the Pantheon, the towers of the famous Notre Dame Cathedral and the Palais Royal remain closed to tourists, said the French National Monuments Authority on Friday. In front of the Louvre there was no indication of the extraordinary closure on Friday. A security guard told a dpa reporter he knew nothing about it.
Last weekend, demonstrations of the "Yellow West" had come to riots. Protesters fought street battles with the police. More than 400 people were arrested. The "Yellow West" have been demonstrating against planned tax increases on gasoline and diesel since mid-November - but now the protest is much more general and directed against the government and President Emmanuel Macron.
Even football games are canceled
According to Prime Minister Édouard Philippe, 8,000 security forces are deployed in the capital alone this coming Saturday, with a total of around 89,000 in the country. Around the Parisian triumphal arch, where violent riots arose last weekend, the police were already in action on Thursday. The entrances to the world famous landmark were closed. Individual shops on the boulevard Champs-Élysées were secured - but otherwise there was the usual visitor rush on the boulevard.
Interior Minister Christophe Castaner told a press conference that there are "ultra-violent" people who wanted to participate in the protests. He calls for not demonstrating in Paris on Saturday. It was not forbidden to demonstrate - though demonstrators would not fall into the trap of thugs.
With a view to possible new riots also several football matches were canceled or postponed. These include Friday's fixture between AS Monaco and OGC Nice, as well as Saturday's top match between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and HSC Montpellier and the match between Toulouse and Lyon. According to AFP, the policemen scheduled for the games are instead to be used in the demonstrations of the "yellow vests".