France will deploy military personnel from its Sentinelle operation to support police and gendarmerie forces during protests scheduled for Saturday, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez has confirmed.
Nuñez said the troops would take over certain duties normally carried out by internal security forces, allowing police and gendarmerie officers to focus on managing demonstrations and maintaining public order.
“We will deploy the Sentinelle forces, of course, as a replacement for internal security forces … primarily to free up the police and gendarmerie from their duties so they can concentrate on maintaining public order,” Nuñez told France’s National Assembly, according to The Guardian.
The interior minister warned that authorities would respond firmly to any disorder during the demonstrations.
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu had previously announced that police presence would be “massive” over the weekend, as the government seeks to restore order following unrest reported the previous weekend.
The planned deployment comes amid heightened security concerns as French authorities prepare for the upcoming protests.
