France Deploys Troops for Oct. 24 Protests as 10-Year Bond Yield Hits 24-Year High
Updated
Updated · Reuters · Oct 20
France Deploys Troops for Oct. 24 Protests as 10-Year Bond Yield Hits 24-Year High
3 articles · Updated · Reuters · Oct 20
Summary
France said it will send troops alongside reinforced police for Saturday's protests after Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu admitted the Oct. 17 response failed to stop rioting and looting in Paris, Marseille, Lyon and other cities.
Targeted curfews helped restore relative calm overnight, but ministers said intelligence was inadequate, police deployments were too static and planned leave was not cancelled; Interior Minister Laurent Nunez apologized for the failings.
Authorities have assigned 200 investigators to identify rioters, and police on Tuesday arrested a suspect in the fire that destroyed Limoges' historic town hall, saying he was on a security watch list and linked to an ultra-left group.
Student union UNEF has called fresh protests for Saturday and Yellow Vest-linked groups are mobilizing over fuel costs, keeping pressure on Emmanuel Macron's government before next year's presidential election.
Investor anxiety deepened as France's 10-year borrowing yield touched its highest level since 2002, while similar unrest in Italy and continuing protests in Albania raised fears of a wider European spillover.
With military forces stepping in, will France's unprecedented security crackdown crush the impending weekend protests or ignite a nationwide state of emergency?
As French bond yields hit a 24-year high, could this explosive wave of riots trigger a deeper European financial and political crisis?
Why did authorities ignore intelligence warnings, and can deploying the Sentinelle force truly prevent another weekend of historic destruction across France?