France deploys 70,000 security forces to prevent repeat of protest violence

France is on high alert Saturday with police, helicopters, and armored vehicles deployed in major cities to prevent a repeat of the violence and looting that erupted during nationwide demonstrations last weekend. Shops in central Paris are boarded up, the Louvre and Musee d’Orsay are closed, and a curfew is in place for parts of the capital ahead of hundreds of planned protests. About 70,000 security personnel will be deployed, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said, as Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu warned the threat of violence remains high. The protests, sparked by high school students over learning conditions and fueled by anger over the rising cost of living, come six months before elections. A new poll shows far-right candidate Marine Le Pen as frontrunner, with her National Rally party congress in Orleans this weekend drawing counter-protesters. Courts have jailed 217 people over last week's violence, which the government blames on ultra-left groups.