Ring of steel to subdue rioters across France

France is to deploy an ‘‘exceptional’’ number of security force officers around the country today as the government braces for yellowvest protests of ‘‘great violence’’ in Paris, despite making key concessions. Tourists have been urged not to cancel their trips to the capital, despite the closure of about a dozen cultural sites, including the Eiffel Tower, due to security fears. But police urged shops and restaurants on the Champs-Elysees to shut today to avoid fresh damage after last weekend’s riots the worst in decades. Edouard Philippe, the prime minister, told senators that an unspecified number of additional extra forces would be deployed on top of the 65,000 security officers already in place for the protests in Paris and elsewhere. An official in Emmanuel Macron’s office warned that intelligence suggested some protesters intended to be in Paris ‘‘to smash and to kill’’. President Macron has said he will the green fuel tax rise that sparked the movement, but protesters’ demands have widened.