05/05/2018
05/05/2018
PARIS (AP) — The head of Paris police says about 2,000 police officers will be deployed to ensure security in the French capital during an anti-government protest Saturday. Prefect Michel Delpuech promised Friday in a news conference a "powerful and consistent" effort, four days after May Day protests turned violent in the French capital. Authorities blamed the violence on masked attackers from a libertarian group called the Black Blocs that numbered around 1,200 people in total. Six cars were burned, a McDonald's restaurant was smashed up and automobile shops were vandalized. Delpuech said "there is every reason to think" violent individuals will try to disturb Saturday's protest. The march, supported by far-left party France Insoumise ("Rebel France"), aims at denouncing French President Emmanuel Macron's economic changes, almost one year after his election.