Macron's security gamble holds, but at the cost of civil liberties

France's Saturday protests ended without the widespread looting and fires of last week, though violence occurred at the margins, with roughly 110,000 marching in Paris and 410,000 nationwide per official counts. Authorities imposed unprecedented security measures, mobilizing 70,000 police and gendarmes with armored vehicles, drones, and water cannons, while restricting public liberties by banning most demonstrations and closing major cultural sites like the Louvre and Musée d'Orsay. Unions have called for a national strike on November 5, with Gilets Jaunes and students planning another protest on October 31, raising questions about whether this heavy-handed state response marks a new French normal amid rising polarization ahead of presidential elections.