Paris. The phase of protests has started again in France. In view of these protests, the authorities have deployed police forces on a large scale on Saturday. Also the major museums of Paris have been closed. The government is trying to prevent incidents like the violence that happened last week from happening again. Last week, after looting of shops, burning of vehicles and attacks on public establishments, it seemed that the government had lost control. Masked rioters had targeted the main commercial areas of Paris and many other cities.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said that about 70,000 policemen will be deployed across the country. Apart from this, helicopters, armored vehicles and water cannons have also been deployed. Last week, more than five lakh people had come out on the streets, in view of which there is a possibility of huge crowd gathering this time too. Major museums of Paris like 'Louvre', 'Orsay Museum', 'Picasso Museum' and 'Grand Palace' were kept closed on Saturday.
Art Basel, one of the world's most prestigious contemporary art fairs, opened to the public on Friday, but organizers canceled the weekend events due to fears of a disturbance. A bank branch and other business establishments near Paris' Place de la Republique, one of the major protest sites last weekend, have been covered with large pieces of wood to protect them from rioters.
Following the violence, Paris police advised shoppers to deploy private security guards. However, he later clarified that it is the responsibility of the government to protect businessmen and their establishments. Nearly 3,000 shops were damaged or looted across France last weekend.