France students' unrest: 70,000 police deployed, museums closed ahead of fresh weekend protests

French authorities announced the deployment of around 70,000 law enforcement personnel, including gendarmes (military police), as the country braced for potential violence during another weekend of student-led protests.According to French interior minister Laurent Nuñez, who announced the security measures, elite police units would help protect public buildings, including city halls, after rioters set fire to the historic Limoges City Hall, a 143-year-old building, on October 17.“There have been numerous calls from radical far-left groups on social media to commit acts of violence and vandalism. There have also been renewed calls for looting, with those messages clearly being spread by rioters,” Nuñez told reporters at a news conference in Paris on Friday.“We will be absolutely uncompromising with those involved in violence. Police will have a very firm approach to making arrests, and there will be legal consequences,” he added.His statement came after protests last week descended into violence, with demonstrators setting fires, storming public buildings, smashing shop windows, looting and clashing with police, marking France’s worst unrest in years.Demonstrators are now planning t...