The French government plans to deploy soldiers to protect public buildings at the next Yellow Vest protest, following violent demonstrations over the past weekend that left banks, buildings, stores and restaurants destroyed, burned and looted in Paris.
The government will redeploy "Sentinelle" counter-terror troops which have been guarding sensitive sites and public buildings across the country since the 2015 terror attacks. That way, the police will be able to "concentrate on crowd control, along with maintaining law and order," government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux said.
Also, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe decided to postpone his planned visit to French Guiana in order to be present on Saturday, when the next protests are scheduled. "Given the special situation concerning public order, the premier decided to postpone his visit," Philippe's office said. Earlier, Philippe banned Yellow Vest protests in parts of Paris, Bordeaux and Toulouse after looting in riots.
