France To Deploy Nearly 148,000 Police for New Year's Eve as 'Yellow Vest' Protest Expected
Riot police officers stand guard during a demonstration by the "yellow vests" movement on the Champs Elysees near the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France, Dec. 29, 2018. | Photo: Reuters
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In early December, the yellow vest protests in Paris turned into some of the worst unrest seen in the capital since the student-led civil unrest of 1968.
France will celebrate the new year under high-security, French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said on Monday with 148,000 security personnel on the ground throughout the country, including 18,000 in Paris where festivities will mainly take place on the Champs Elysees Avenue.
Castaner said some 300,000 people were expected to crowd onto the famous Parisian avenue for New Year's Eve celebrations and to watch the fireworks display, though anti-government "yellow vest" protesters also intend on joining the gathering and holding a demonstration.
A wide security perimeter will be set up around the iconic shopping street with police conducting checks starting in the afternoon local time.
In early December, the yellow vest protests in Paris turned into some of the worst unrest seen in the capital since the student-led civil unrest of 1968.
Cars were set on fire, bank and insurance offices' windows smashed and street furniture was vandalized.
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