France deploys 70,000 police as nationwide protests spread over costs and school conditions

France will deploy about 70,000 police nationwide on Saturday as it braces for fresh protests following some of the worst urban violence in years, sparked by high school student demonstrations over learning conditions and broader anger over the rising cost of living. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez announced the security deployment, warning that calls for violence and looting were circulating on social media. The protests come six months ahead of elections, with a new poll showing far-right candidate Marine Le Pen as the frontrunner, strengthened by recent events. Courts have jailed 217 people, half of them first-time offenders, for last Saturday's violence. Authorities have imposed protest restrictions in several cities, including Orleans, Lyon, and Paris, while unions have vowed to push ahead on banned routes.