Youth protest inflation across Europe, France deploys 70,000 police

France has deployed about 70,000 police nationwide ahead of Saturday's nationwide protest to prevent it from turning violent.

The protest comes amid rising prices, weak public services, and growing dissatisfaction with President Emmanuel Macron's government. In a protest two weeks earlier, shops, public buildings, and businesses were vandalized in several cities.

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez called Saturday's protest, which falls on Halloween, a day of "extremely high risk." He said there is a legal provision allowing a ban on covering one's face in situations where peace could be disrupted, over concerns that protesters could use masks to hide their identity.

The US embassy has advised its citizens in France to stay away from large gatherings. The movement that began in France in late September has now entered its third week. Discontent has grown as debate began on the 2027 budget, with rising public debt putting pressure on the government to cut spending. Students, trade unions, and resurgent "yellow vest" supporters have all come out together.

In Italy, thousands of students and workers protested on Friday, a day of general strike, demanding higher wages and opposing policies to increase military spending.

In Germany, young people are preparing to protest in more than 30 cities on Saturday, where organizers expect around 160,000 people to gather. They are demanding greater investment in education and opposing mandatory military service.