The name is reminiscent of another. Saturday, May 20, some "yellow vests" launch their "ultimatum 2". An echo of the day of March 16: this "ultimatum 1" had led to violent demonstrations on the Champs-Elysees, which had resulted in the iconic plunder of Fouquet's. Should we expect a renewed mobilization, which was out of breath last week? Recent news, including the fire of Notre-Dame de Paris, could come to reshuffle the cards, the yellow vests having tasted the influx of donations of billionaires to help the reconstruction.
Paris as a rallying point
After Toulouse last week, it is again Paris which is designated as the rallying point for this "act 23". "All in Paris on April 20", proclaim the various groups of "yellow vests" on Facebook. About 5,700 people have registered to participate in this "ultimatum 2" and 18,000 are "interested" in the social network.
Two appointments were given at 10:30 in front of the Ministry of Finance, in Bercy, before being canceled by the prefecture, which also closed the sector of the Ile de la Cité. Similarly, the calls to walk on the Champs-Elysees flourish despite the ban that still strikes the sector. Finally, only one way was allowed, which goes from the basilica of Saint-Denis, in the 93, until Jussieu.
A more violent protest than last week?
On Facebook, the call to meet in Bercy is openly "non pacific", which raises fears of an outbreak of violence. In fact, the fire of Notre-Dame on Monday was in vain to eclipse the social climate of the country, it has not calmed the ardor of the "yellow vests". Some even see the astronomical sums given by the head of some large groups (L'Oreal, Kering, LVMH among others) as a provocation. "It's good, the billionaires have found 1 billion euros, but 140,000 homeless, everyone cares," protest those who call for an "ultimatum 2".
" The breakers will be at the rendezvous again. "What about the presence of black blocks, announced for several weeks by the authorities? "The riders will be at the rendezvous" in Toulouse, Montpellier, Bordeaux and "especially" Paris, said the Minister of the Interior, Christophe Castaner, Friday. A note from the capital's police chief, Didier Lallement, dated April 16 and quoted by Le Point , evokes a Saturday "strong challenge" with "a radical block of 1,500 to 2,000 people composed of ultra-yellow and members of the protest movement ". According to this document, their objective would be to "degenerate rallies organized in the capital by erratic wanderings sprinkled with violent acts, and by vituments of abuse in symbolic places like the Champs-Elysees area and the plateau of the star".
According to police sources, however, some of the most violent activists prefer to book themselves to strike better on May 1st. It is possible that the level of violence is lower than March 16.
What security device?
Saturday, "more than 60,000 police and gendarmes" will be on the ground, detailed Christophe Castaner Friday. "We will take all necessary measures to avoid the excesses, stop the violence and stop the thugs." The instructions we gave to law enforcement are clear: responsiveness, mobility, systematic dispersal of gatherings and arrest of violent individuals. The government also wants to rely on the anti-riot law, "including increased checks and searches and arrests for concealment of the face with a view to committing violence".