France prepares for day of protest a week after nationwide riots

France is on high alert ahead of a new day of nationwide protests on Saturday, a week after the country saw some of its worst unrest in decades.

Sweeping restrictions have been imposed on demonstrations across France but hundreds of thousands of protesters are still expected to gather in Paris and elsewhere for a second round of protests organised by students, trade unions and wider anti-government groups.

The interior ministry has said it will deploy 70,000 police officers, ramping up the security presence in French cities, after the government was accused by opposition parties of failing to foresee the scale of the unrest on 17 October.

"We will not let anything go unchallenged," said Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez.

Hundreds of people have been jailed for vandalism, arson and looting after fast-track court hearings in recent days.

President Emmanuel Macron met high-school students' representatives on Friday ahead of Saturday's protests, and although they said he had made clear commitments to them, they said students should "continue to mobilise".

Macron decreed earlier this week that only demonstrations organised by a recognised trade unions would be permitted to take place on Saturday, and several key cities including Lyon, Nice and Montpellier have gone further by announcing blanket bans on gatherings.

Official announcements appear to have done little to deter organisers, with hundreds of large and small demonstrations planned across France.

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