New Protests Planned in France To Coincide With Le Pen’s National Rally Convention

French authorities are planning a “massive” police deployment this coming weekend in response to calls for a new round of protests following demonstrations that turned destructive and violent last week. Among those particularly warned to take caution is National Rally leader Marine Le Pen, whose party is holding a convention at Paris this weekend.Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez on Tuesday said French military forces with Operation Sentinelle will be deployed at sensitive sites to reinforce the police presence after last weekend’s violence. The police are on high alert across the country after thousands of businesses were looted or destroyed, at least 2,400 people were arrested, and more than 1,000 police officers sustained injuries.An internal assessment by the United States State Department says that antifascist groups plan demonstrations near Ms. Le Pen’s convention site, and they could be “potentially more confrontational” than last weekend’s protests, Fox News Digital reports, citing internal documents.New reporting pins the riots on a global network of far-left organizations dubbed “Chaos Inc.” An investigation by journalist Asra Q. Nomani identified 101 organizations that are “coordinating, organizing or amplifying protests in Europe.” Seeking to debunk claims of student-led activism, Ms. Nomani noted that one in three of the groups participating in the protests are student-led. I name names so the myth of ‘student protests’ can be pierced,” she posted on X.The unrest, according to her reporting, has received sympathetic amplification by American far-left groups, including CodePink. American-born tech tycoon Neville Roy Singham, who is married to CodePink co-founder Jodi Evans, has funded several far-left protest movements — including anti-ICE groups in America. Ms. Evans has planned a mass “Taxpayer Uprising” in November at Washington, D.C., and has pointed to youth uprisings in France as part of the motivation.French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu told the National Assembly that far-left radical groups were to blame for the rioting, which he called an “insurrectional scheme.” At a tense meeting of the Parliament on Tuesday, Mr. Lecornu asked the president of the leftwing France Insoumise, or “Unbowed,” Party, parliamentarian Mathilde Panot, whether the group would condemn the arson that burned down the historic city hall building at Limoges during last weekend’s unrest. He also accused the group of “performative outrage” to stir up discord.“It is always the same rhetoric: sowing chaos and then playing the victim through lies or by casting aspersions,” he said during a raucous meeting of the assembly, which delayed voting on the 2027 budget due to the political and security crisis.The riots are now at the center of debate ahead of France’s April 2027 presidential election. President Emmanuel Macron is not allowed to run for reelection because of term limits. He has been criticized for downplaying the weekend riots in an address to the nation on Sunday and for continuing on a three-day Middle East trip amid the unrest. Analysts in France say that Ms. Le Pen is positioning herself as the voice of reason that can restore order. Polls show her party dominates the canvassing with 34 to 38 percent of support. If her vote doesn’t top 50 percent, Ms. Le Pen would face a runoff against the second-leading candidate, currently France Insoumise candidate, Jean-Luc Mélenchon. Mr. Macron’s prime minister, Gabriel Attai, is running a distant fifth in the race.With the unrest dying down, but not squashed, prefects are keeping curfews in place around Paris, for a second night on Tuesday, including at the Place de la République and Les Halles shopping district. Lyon also imposed an overnight curfew in its city center. Marseille, which had significant damage last weekend, is enacting a nightly curfew on unaccompanied minors. The curfews have contributed to the calm since Saturday’s riots.In other cities, police on Tuesday arrested a suspect in connection with the fire at the historic city hall at Limoges, which was destroyed in an arson attack during last weekend’s unrest. French courts are processing cases from the weekend arrests with expedited proceedings. Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin said nearly 150 people are incarcerated and hundreds more suspects will face trials in the coming days.French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, on Tuesday, told the National Assembly that far-left radical groups were to blame for the rioting. Despite that, President Trump has blamed the riots on immigration. “That wasn’t a little bit of a riot. That wasn’t a little bit of a protest. That was a full-on revolution and it continues,” Mr. Trump said from the White House on Tuesday.America’s National Football League still plans to play its first game ever at Paris on Sunday despite security concerns. The New Orleans Saints players arrived on Monday and the New York Giants are scheduled to land in France on Thursday.“We’ve been monitoring that with our security people, in contact with the security people as well locally, French police, etc.,” the NFL’s head of Europe and Asia-Pacific, Brett Gosper, told reporters. “It’s full speed ahead at this point, we don’t see any reason to be otherwise,” he added.The U.S. embassy at Paris has advised Americans to travel to the demonstration areas and “exercise caution if unexpectedly in the vicinity of large gatherings.”“Just being safe is obviously the biggest thing,” Saints tight end Juwan Johnson said. “Some guys have family here — some guys have their parents, their kids, and things like that. The biggest thing is just travel in groups.”

New Protests Planned in France To Coincide With Le Pen’s National Rally Convention

New Protests Planned in France To Coincide With Le Pen’s National Rally Convention

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