France Deploys Military and Special Forces Ahead of October 24 Protests

The French government has announced an unprecedented "state of alert" ahead of planned protests on October 24, deploying military and special forces to prevent a repeat of recent riots. This follows violent unrest on October 17 that resulted in widespread destruction and looting. The Interior Ministry's measures include banning demonstrations deemed risky, deploying the military's "Sentinel" counter-terrorism unit for street patrols, and adding special police forces like RAID, armored vehicles, and water cannons. Approximately 1,000 police and gendarmes were injured in the October 17 riots, with Interior Minister Nunez describing the attacks as attempted murder. New nighttime curfews have been issued in Paris and Lyon from the night of October 21 into the morning of October 22. The measures aim to prevent chaos from unauthorized protests and sudden destructive acts by masked groups.