Authorities have vowed a 'zero tolerance' approach to this weekend's protests. Paris police have banned the protesters from a large area in the west of the city, including the famed Champs-Elysees avenue, scene of last week’s rampage by hundreds of anarchists, as well as the presidential palace and National Assembly.
Similar bans have been announced in the centres of Toulouse, Bordeaux, Dijon, Rennes and the southern city of Nice where Chinese President Xi Jinping is to meet Macron this weekend.
In a controverisal move, troops will be redeployed from the "Sentinelle" anti-terror operation during this weekend’s protests to secure government buildings and other sites, and to allow police forces to focus on maintaining public order.
However these soldiers are armed with automatic weapons, raising concerns about how they will respond if set upon by a group of rioters.