France will deploy troops alongside police as it launches a massive security operation ahead of further protests on Saturday, the government said on Tuesday, admitting failures after October 17 violence across major cities. Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said the deployment “next Saturday will be massive”, with the immediate priority to restore order after rioting and looting in Paris, Marseille and Lyon. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said military forces would back police, as the government pledged to overhaul tactics after criticism that city centres were left vulnerable. Lecornu said the unrest came down to a choice “between violence and the Republic” and blamed far-left groups. Curfews followed a night of relative calm, with local measures imposed in affected areas, including curfews for children and teenagers under 18, and extended to Tuesday night. While lawmakers set up a commission of inquiry to establish the causes of the unrest, authorities assigned 200 investigators to identify and track down those involved. Nunez apologised for the mistakes, saying there were intelligence failures and that police deployments had been too static, along with an error over planned police leave. Police also arrested on Tuesday a man suspected of starting a blaze that destroyed a historic town hall in Limoges during the rioting. Officials said the suspect was on a security watch list and belonged to an ultra-left group. The upheaval has spilled into Europe, with unrest also reported in Italy, including Milan, and in Albania where protesters were expected to march for a seventh consecutive day in Tirana against Prime Minister Edi Rama. Latest, the suspect remains under arrest as investigations continue, with a commission of inquiry and 200 investigators working to identify those behind the street violence.