May 1968 events in France
On 30 May, 400,000 to 500,000 protesters, many more than the 50,000 expected by the police were expecting, were led by the Confédération générale du travail. They marched through Paris and chanted, "Adieu, de Gaulle!" ("Farewell, de Gaulle!"). Maurice Grimaud, the head of the Paris police, played a key role in avoiding revolution by both speaking to and spying on the revolutionaries and by carefully avoiding the use of force. People thought that the Communists were going to seize power in Paris, and Pompidou prepared the army.