French police arrested 165 people in Paris ahead of the May Day demonstrations as the country increased security in anticipation of possible violence, local media reported, citing police
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 01st May, 2019) French police arrested 165 people in Paris ahead of the May Day demonstrations as the country increased security in anticipation of possible violence, local media reported, citing police.Previous reports said that 88 people had been detained in the capital.
According to the BFMTV broadcaster, police conducted more than 9,000 preventive checks and arrested 165 people as of 1 p.m. local time on Wednesday (11:00 GMT).
On Tuesday, French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said that more than 7,400 police and security forces would be deployed in Paris ahead of the marches in case violence erupted. He said that authorities had found between 1,000 and 2,000 radical activists potentially planning to incite violence during the marches.
The French government prepares to face the possible outbreak of violence and vandalism during Wednesday's protests, as this has been the case in the last two annual May Day demonstrations. Additionally, the France has already been experiencing waves of anti-government protests by the yellow vest demonstrators who have been taking to the streets on a weekly basis since November.
Last week, French President Emmanuel Macron held a big press conference following a national debate in the country, organized in response to the yellow vest protests. The French leader announced a number of measures in response to the crisis, including tax cuts for working citizens, indexation of pensions starting from 2020 and several others. The first measures were announced by the French authorities in December 2018. According to Minister of Economy and Finance Bruno Le Maire, the implementation of these measures will require 17 billion Euros ($19 billion).
