France will deploy 70,000 police officers nationwide this weekend in response to anticipated large-scale protests.

According to AFP, Bloomberg News, and France 24, French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said during a press conference on the 23rd (local time) that posts by radical far-left groups inciting violence and looting are already circulating on social media, warning that authorities will respond firmly to rioters and looters committing violence.

Minister Nunez made the remarks following a meeting with President Emmanuel Macron, Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu, and senior security officials.

He explained that elite counterterrorism units will assist in protecting public facilities such as city halls, and that about 20 armored vehicles, 15 water cannon trucks, along with helicopters and drones, will be deployed.

"There will be absolutely no compromise," Minister Nunez emphasized, adding that perpetrators of violence will be decisively arrested and held legally accountable.

Thierry Clair, general secretary of the UNSA police union, told Bloomberg that a massive police operation will unfold not only in the capital, Paris, but across all of France, stating, "A significant number of officers have canceled their days off, and at least 75 percent of the police force will be mobilized."

Earlier, President Macron stated that all protests outside of approved labor unions will be banned, and regional authorities have also issued bans on demonstrations.

In response, leftist groups, students, and unions are pushing back, arguing that the measures infringe upon constitutionally guaranteed rights to assemble.

Jean-Luc Melenchon, leader of La France Insoumise (LFI) and a presidential hopeful, criticized the moves, saying, "Civil liberties cannot become a bargaining chip for a government in disarray. Banning protests, choosing who has the right to demonstrate, and imposing local curfews are crossing the line between authoritarianism and democracy one by one."

President Macron is scheduled to meet directly with student representatives later in the day to listen to their demands, marking the first such meeting since student protests erupted in protest of poor educational conditions.

The student demonstrations in France have served as a catalyst, expanding into protests against a lack of public sector investment and high inflation.

President Macron has postponed plans to visit Nigeria and Senegal due to the current crisis, AFP reported.

The far-right National Rally (RN) party, effectively led by leading next presidential election contender Marine Le Pen, is holding its annual party congress in Orleans this weekend.

As far-left groups and anti-racism organizations have announced plans for counter-demonstrations, the potential for clashes remains high.