Tension in France: the "yellow vests" return to the streets and the government awaits them with military troops – 03/22/2019

A declaration of war. This is considered by the movement of "yellow vests" the participation of the French army of the anti-terrorist operation Centinelle, to the surveillance of public buildings this Saturday, during their action number XIX in Paris, Lyon, Bordeaux and other cities of France

"The army itself is going to be deployed, the war has been declared," wrote one of the protesters on Facebook.

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The government decided to change its strategy, to ban demonstrations on the Champs-Elysées and on the Place de la Concorde in Paris, Toulouse and Bordeaux. After sacking the police chief in Paris after the violent demonstration that took place last Saturday on the Champs-Elysees, he summoned the soldiers of the anti-terrorist operation to occupy public buildings.

An action that annoys the army and the police: the army is trained and armed for war and the police to maintain order. The presence of the soldiers is considered a "militarization" of the government's response, which can have a catastrophic result in case of provocation jackets or attempts to enter the buildings in custody.

The leader of France Insumisa, Jean Luc Mélenchon, asked the military to "not shoot". In an open letter to Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, he warned that maintaining order was not an army responsibility. The army is responsible for defending the nation against enemies. Protesters can not be considered as enemies of the interior, "he warned.

He recalled that today the military governor of Paris, Bruno Leroy, said that these soldiers could leave "until they open fire". These are serious words and fuel a deadly escalation. They put the cohesion of the country and its link between the army and the nation, to the detriment of any provocation, "wrote Mélenchon.

He asks the Prime Minister "to go to the National Assembly to make a statement on the use of the army in the maintenance of order" and that after the statement there is a debate. On TV, his language was less solemn: "You have gone crazy, a soldier is not a policeman," he warned.

Two lawyers wrote to human rights defender Jacques Toubon to obtain "clear guarantees to avoid any risk" after the announcement of the mobilization of soldiers. "We can not imagine what would happen if a building was actually threatened and if the army was to intervene," he said.

The Minister of the Armed Forces badured that the soldiers would not be confronted with the demonstrators. "Their mission is to fight terrorism, not to restore public order," he warned.

With his statements, he sought to repair what the government spokesman had done in announcing the involvement of the army as part of the reinforcement operation.

President Emmanuel Macron responded to criticisms regarding the involvement of the army and badured that "the army will have no responsibility in maintaining the order", in a statement issued to Brussels. He criticized those who "want to create fear". "No false messages and no false worries," he asked.

The new police chief, Didier Lallement, announced Friday that a decree banned any gathering of people considered "yellow vests" in a large Paris region. It includes the Champs-Élysées, the Plaza de la Concorde, the National Assembly. There will be 4,700 security forces in the streets of Paris.

The leaders of the "yellow vests", Maxime Nicolle and Eric Drouet, did not give clear indications on the mobilization of Saturday. But in the networks, vests are self-convened on the Champs-Elysees, where last Saturday they had their greatest act of propaganda: they burned the most beautiful avenue in the world and looted or destroyed 75 shops, bars or shops.

The deployment of the Sentinel Operation Army has been affecting the entire country since the terrorist attacks that struck France. There are 7,000 men patrolling railway stations, airports, tourist sites and neighborhoods.