Fear grips the streets over possible riots following a victory of the far right

Paris is shielded like Lyon, Rennes, and Grenoble before the end of the first electoral round. The warning of outbreaks of violence by the Ministry of the Interior worries merchants, who have covered their businesses with bars and wood, as if a hurricane were about to arrive.

On the Place de la Bastille, five gendarmes from the Vigipirate anti-terrorist operation patrol in their special clothing, bulletproof vests and their combat rifles. France is in a state of “emergency attack” ahead of the Olympic Games, when no one expected these early legislative elections, in the middle of summer and two weeks before this international competition.

“Our big concern is that June 2024 will be like June 2023”explained a representative of the Parisian professional traders.

It was the demonstration against the retirement reform in 2023, with more than 300,000 people. There was repression, destruction of shops and looting by the “casseurs” and violence by the feared Black Blocs inside the march, in direct confrontation with the police. Paris, Lyon, Rennes and other places are preparing to resist a night of violence predicted by the authorities, with similar characteristics.

Since Friday, images of businesses barricaded to protect their premises against possible excesses have been circulating on the Internet, along with the results of the first round of the legislative elections.

The security model is like the Yellow Vest marches, which destroyed the city in their wake. The terraces have been emptied of chairs so that they are not used by projectiles. The windows of the premises have been protected with screwed wooden boards, the flower pots have been hidden inside the premises. Jewelry has disappeared from jewelry store windows as have watches. The doors are armored and with bars.

In Lyon, businesses attacked during recent social movements were willing to install wooden panels on additional ventilation grilles to protect them from violence, according to Lyon News.

“This new city of Lyon is protected from the possible attacks promised by the extremes, in the event of legislative results that don’t match what they want“, reacted a property owner from the second district of Lyon, Jean-Stéphane Chaillet.

The Champs-Élysées, a legendary target of the Gilets Jaunes, is being sealed off in anticipation of possible riots. They can be carried out by the winners or the losers of the election.. Or those who arrive from the suburbs to Paris via the RER, the suburban transport. Boutiques such as Zara, Apple, Bershka, JD and Pull&Bear are protected as if for war.

These companies want it to be the most beautiful place in the world at the opening of the Olympic Games. All the big businesses have prepared themselves by investing millions of euros to show their splendor at the opening of the games on July 26. From Louis Vuitton to Massimo Dutti and Cartier. They don’t want fires or destruction.

A tour of the Parisian districts shows that some places are more protected than before: the rue de Rivoli in the 1st arrondissement and the Place de la République, the Bastille and the Place de la Nation are all prepared for possible riots. No bar leaves its chairs or plants on the terrace.All the windows of the bars are covered with wood.

In the capital, “some sectors are more affected than others”, such as between the Republic, Bastille and Nation. An “infernal triangle”, where there are periodic demonstrations.

In these areas, shops are particularly concerned. Facap has given all our members the following instructions: “They must be attentive and listen.”

“In addition, the elections are generating concern among businessmen,” lamented Thierry Veron, the president of the Federation of Associations of Merchants and Artisans of Paris (Facap), which has 35 associations and between 150 and 200 businesses in the City of Paris. Light.

“We assume that we are worried, But we don’t have to worry about that. If it is protected, it is protected by insurance, but it must be protected,” said the representative of the profession in Paris.

There is a group of WhatsApp users who can detect the situation. The police communicate with the professionals to alert them of possible problems through an application.

“If riots occur, alert and surveillance will allow us to respond quickly,” said Thierry Véron.

With anti-Semitism and fear of Islam as protagonists of the campaign, the authorities fear that the “banlieue” will break out around the big cities, as in 2005. Cars will be set on fire, police and firefighters will be confronted. They seek to confront the fires or not let ambulances or doctors enter. There is particular concern for St Denis, Nanterre, Montreuil, Nantes, Lyon and Marseille.

On this unpredictable election night, it is feared that there are riots in the suburbsoutside of Paris, as happened with the civil disobedience of 2005.

Muslims living in France have taken precautions. They do not leave the house with their families this Sunday.

“We did not take the train, the RER or the Metro because there were provocateurs. The best thing today is to be inside the house early and watch what’s on TV. .Racism and xenophobia are rampant. It has become dangerous. We hope that tomorrow you can go to work. I leave at 6 in the morning on the train,” admits Mohamed, a refugee from Darfur, who with his veiled wife and his two small children live in Champigny sur Marne, a suburb of Paris.

Moniprix supermarkets in and around Paris have taken cover.

“These are the result of individual decisions by the owners of their property,” maintains Monoprix.

Traders cannot forget losses, Yellow Vest fires and looting in Nantes, Paris and Lyon, in companies that are already weakened by the pandemic. These companies are in the process of returning aid from the state and banks after the pandemic and are facing customer abandonment due to the rise of digital commerce.

The prospect of violence dominates overnight because it was warned about by Gerald Darmanin, the French interior minister, in the first and second round of elections.