France braces for new protests as Yellow Vests defy Paris ban
Unions and students plan fresh nationwide marches while the Yellow Vests call a banned rally in central Paris after weeks of unrest over living costs.
Paris — French unions and student groups are set to take to the streets for another day of nationwide protests on Saturday, while the Yellow Vests movement plans a separate rally in central Paris despite a ban by authorities, France 24 reported.
The demonstrations follow weeks of youth-led unrest and nationwide strikes that drew hundreds of thousands of workers protesting over the rising cost of living, according to the broadcaster. The dual mobilisation — an authorised union and student march on one side, a banned Yellow Vests gathering on the other — presents a fresh test for President Emmanuel Macron's government and for the authorities policing the capital.
The grievances voiced by protesters centre on pay, public services and the state of education. France 24 quoted demonstrators' demands for "more public services", complaints that "salaries are too low" and warnings that "schools are in very, very bad shape".
The movement, which the broadcaster described as an "Act III" of protests drawing hundreds of thousands, builds on earlier strike action over living costs that has already stretched the government's ability to contain street pressure. The Yellow Vests, whose call for "mass disobedience" underpins Saturday's planned rally, have chosen to press ahead in defiance of the official ban, raising the prospect of confrontation with police.
The unrest is also a political test for Sébastien Lecornu, a senior figure in Macron's camp, with the president's economic and social policies at the centre of the dispute. The government has not publicly given ground on the core demands over wages and services.
The immediate measure of the day will be turnout: whether the marches match the hundreds of thousands seen in previous rounds, and whether the banned Yellow Vests rally in central Paris draws a significant crowd despite the prohibition. France 24 reported that officials have already warned of a high risk during the protests, making the security response — and any decision on further bans — the next marker of how the standoff develops.
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