France Braces for Nationwide Cost-of-Living Protests Ahead of Presidential Election

PARIS: Following weeks of student-led unrest, France faces nationwide demonstrations this Saturday centered on the rising cost of living, ushering in a potentially volatile period leading up to next year’s presidential election.

The possible convergence of these movements, potentially accompanied by violence, presents a significant challenge to the government while offering an opening for far-left and far-right presidential candidates competing for influence.

France’s Yellow Vest movement, which launched street protests against President Emmanuel Macron’s administration eight years ago, has called for Saturday’s “yellow and youth” demonstrations and is urging millions to participate.

The movement has reached out to teachers, workers, pensioners, farmers, and students through an online call circulated across social media.

“I have a feeling that Saturday will be a kind of culmination,” said Marie-Lou, an 18-year-old university student protesting in Lille, in an interview with AFP.

“Workers and the Yellow Vests, who are mobilizing once again, will join us. There is hope that all these different struggles might converge,” she added.

Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu ordered the establishment of a crisis cell on Friday to monitor the demonstrations in real time. On Thursday, he expressed concern about potential clashes following what he described as “urban violence” during the student protests.

Lecornu faces pressure to push a cost-cutting budget through parliament. The proposal aims to address France’s mounting public debt by increasing tax revenue and reducing spending.

Meanwhile, the Yellow Vest and student movements are calling for increased government spending.

Protesters are seeking protection from inflation, which has climbed above three percent due to the Middle East war, along with stronger public services, especially in education.

Anger at Police

Public anger persists over perceived police brutality during the student protests, in which several teenage demonstrators were seriously injured and thousands were arrested.

Francois Boulo, a Yellow Vest figure, told AFP that the groups expected to participate on Saturday had not coordinated, “but we all reacted the same way when we saw the police violence against the students.”

Mounting street unrest and France’s fragmented political system are overshadowing the final months of Macron’s presidency, ahead of the April and May elections to select his successor.

These conditions also provide fertile ground for opposition parties and their candidates.

Jean-Luc Melenchon, leader of the far-left France Unbowed party, has supported the student protests and marched in a demonstration on Tuesday in their favor.

Far-right leader Marine Le Pen, the frontrunner in polls, has positioned her National Rally party alongside the police, consistent with its law-and-order platform.

Macron said this week that he believes the “legitimate” demands of the protesting students are being “exploited for political purposes,” according to a government spokeswoman.

Prepared for Violence

Organizers of Saturday’s demonstrations have launched a website listing more than 600 planned protests across France, along with hundreds of additional protest “actions,” including blockades of motorway toll booths and service stations.

Both authorities and demonstrators are preparing for the possibility of violence.

Paris police have banned a major march through the capital’s tourist and business center, restricting it to the eastern part of the city.

Authorities have also launched legal action against a French Twitch influencer who urged his hundreds of thousands of followers to join what he called a demonstration “war zone.”

On Friday, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez told France 2 television that officers could deploy stun grenades in the event of “extremely serious urban violence.” He had previously suspended their use during the student protests after one stun grenade blew off the hand of a 15-year-old.

“Disturbances are expected, particularly in Paris and other major cities,” an interior ministry official told AFP on condition of anonymity, citing the risk of violence from “the ultra-left movement.”

“Actions blocking major roads or large essential facilities will not be tolerated,” the official added.

Demonstrators have developed their own smartphone app that provides real-time locations of police, tear gas, and helicopters.

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