France braces for second day of protests with 70,000 police deployed

France prepares for a second day of protests with 70,000 police deployed, following last week's riots that damaged 3,000 shops and destroyed a town hall. Authorities have restricted demonstrations to union-organized events only, drawing criticism from opposition parties. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez cited social media calls for violence as justification for the crackdown. Several left-wing parties filed urgent appeals with the Council of State against the bans, while a route was agreed for a Marseille march and Paris protesters will walk from Bastille to Nation. Student participation is expected to drop due to school holidays, though President Macron met student leaders and promised to rethink the ParcourSup university admissions platform. Meanwhile, Marine Le Pen's National Rally congress in Orléans faces counter-protests, and football matches including PSG-Lyon were postponed.