France braces for fresh unrest, government vows tough response

"Everyone is on deck to ensure an extremely firm response to any trouble," Nunez this week as he set out details of security arrangements for a day he described as carrying "a very high risk" of unrest. Read:‘Threat exists’: Paris police warn of possible unrest ahead of protests.

Authorities are also alert to the possibility that rioters could use Halloween masks to conceal their identities. Nunez noted that laws already allow police to ban face coverings when public order is at risk. The United States Embassy advised travellers to avoid areas where demonstrations or large gatherings are planned.

Theprotests gathered pacein late September as Macron's minority government launched 2027 budget talks. Facing public debt approaching 120% of economic output and rising borrowing costs, the government is under pressure to rein in spending, narrowing its room for manoeuvre.

Students angry at thedilapidated state of many schools, crowded classes and a university admissions system widely seen as unfair have been joined by trade unions and a re-emergent"Yellow Vest" movementdemanding action on the cost of living. Protests spread across Europe.

The protests have inspired youth-led protests across Europe, with demonstrations planned in more than 30 German cities on Saturday. The French government'spromises to reform educationand ease fuel costs have failed to calm discontent.

"When I was little, I was future," said Aaron Berthier de Grandry, a 15-year-old high school student in the Paris suburb of Nogent-sur-Marne who plans to join his third consecutive weekend of protests. "Well, if we, as the future of France, lack resources, that means France will end up collapsing.

"The unrest has handed a political boost to far-right leader Marine Le Pen, who leads opinion polls ahead of April's presidential election, while potential centrist successors to Macron remain divided. The troubles are the latest blow to an economy which, data on Friday showed, was already shrinking in the third quarter.

Read More:French PM calls for 'partial curfews' in cities hit by riots and looting. The Chamber of Commerce estimates losses to retailers exceed €1 billion ($1.1 billion). Other estimates put the total at double when including uninsured damage and lost revenue.

Along Paris' main shopping boulevards, early Christmas lights glow around boarded-up windows and security grilles. Among the shops targeted in previous unrest were outlets belonging to luxury brands including Hermes, Louis Vuitton and Burberry.

The government is pushing ahead with a controversial law making rioters liable to pay up to €10,000 ($11,000) for damage caused either by themselves or by groups they are deemed to be part of. Rights groups and some lawyers say the measure risks undermining the right to peaceful protest.