The China Mail - Seen and heard at France protests

Here is a round-up of what they are witnessing as police and security forces seek to prevent a repeat of the violence, burning and looting that erupted on the sidelines of similar demonstrations last weekend.

- Tear gas in Lyon -

Police fired tear gas to disperse about 150 people protesting in the southeastern city of Lyon, in an area banned to all demonstrations, an AFP journalist saw.

Police fired several tear gas grenades to clear the group, which was holding its protest near a university building and the city's police station. The police moved in as the protesters had tried to block the road.

Earlier a police helicopter could be seen flying over the city, with security forces patrolling and armoured vehicles and riot police vans parked nearby. Shops were boarded up, with private security guards in front of some. Calls to defy the bans on protests in the city centre had circulated on social media.

- 'Improvise' -

Shopkeepers in boarded-up Paris said they were unsure what to expect.

"It feels like we're all just going to have to improvise a bit ... We've secured everything as best we can, we'll likely close at 1:00 pm (1100 GMT) and then stay in the vicinity to keep an eye on things," Armelle Gueganton, a bookseller and member of a shopkeeper's association in the 12th arrondissement, told AFP.

She worried about the route that authorities had mandated for the demonstration in Paris, pointing out that parts of it were "extremely narrow" and that it passed by a gas station.

"I have to wonder if they even have Google Maps at the prefecture when they authorise routes like this."

- 'Break things' -

Shops were also boarded up early Saturday in the southwestern city of Bordeaux.

"Boarding up five storefronts like ours ... costs us nearly 5,000 euros ($5,600)," Margaux Rey, manager of the Altermundi shop, told AFPTV on Friday.

"There is a high demand for securing shops ahead of the upcoming demonstrations," confirmed Joseph Fernandez, a tradesman who is currently "scrambling" to meet the requests -- though, he added, if individuals "want to break things, they will".

- On patrol -

Numerous riot police vans could be seen in France's second city of Marseille, along with armoured vehicles and water cannon.

Philippe Mamelli, 64, said he was "patrolling" the southern city's thoroughfares armed with a truncheon at his waist and pepper spray in his pocket before heading to a demonstration later.

He said he was part of a group called "Citizen Revolution" which sought to support the student protesters, adding: "The rioters are undermining" the students' requests.

- Not 'at ease' -

Employees of barricaded shops in Rennes said they were "not feeling at ease" about protests planned for later in the day, despite a ban.

"Sometimes a ban makes things worse. Protesting is a right -- it's like with children, when you forbid something, it becomes even more tempting," one employee remarked to AFP.

Another employee said they "don't know what to expect. Last week, it was kids doing the smashing, even while people were still inside the shops. They were highly organised -- they even piled up paving stones along the street before using them."

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A.Zhang--ThChM