Tens of thousands of people were expected to take to the streets across France on Saturday in another wave of protests against the government, as Paris police tightened security to prevent an unauthorized gathering near the Elysee Palace.
The demonstrations mark the fourth consecutive weekend of protests, which have intensified as France approaches presidential elections in five months. The far right sees the upcoming vote as its strongest opportunity yet to take power.
Authorities expected up to 170,000 demonstrators nationwide, including 60,000 in Paris. The protests follow union-led demonstrations and strikes on Nov. 5, just two days earlier.
Around 70,000 security personnel were deployed across the country Saturday, with authorities prepared to respond swiftly following the Oct. 17 demonstrations, which descended into some of France's worst riots in years.
Unions planned to stage a march along a traditional route from Place de la Republique in central Paris to Place de la Nation in the eastern part of the city.
But the Yellow Vests movement, whose protests shook President Emmanuel Macron during the early years of his presidency nearly a decade ago, called for a rival demonstration at Place de la Concorde in central Paris, just steps from the Elysee Palace, the president's residence, and the lower house of parliament.
Authorities banned the gathering, and a large police presence was visible in the area Saturday morning to prevent protesters from approaching.
Paris police said they had conducted more than 840 identity checks at train stations across the capital and its inner suburbs by late morning.
Protest marches were already underway in cities including Marseille in the south, Bordeaux in the southwest and Lille in the north, AFP reporters said. Meanwhile, shop windows in Paris and other cities were again boarded up with wooden shutters to prevent looting.
"The risk is exactly the same as on previous Saturdays," Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said, urging authorities "not to lower their guard in the face of more fragmented, or even sporadic, incidents, where the level of violence will not diminish in intensity."
"If there are any rioters or looters ... we'll be ready and waiting for them," he said.
The Yellow Vests movement urged supporters to proceed with its banned rally in defiance of what it described as an attempt to suppress the French right to protest.
"We are calling for mass disobedience," said Benjamin Ball, a member of the movement's coordinating committee.
The latest wave of demonstrations was sparked in late September by high school students protesting conditions at their schools. University students later joined them, and young people remain at the center of the unrest.
The police response has drawn criticism over allegations of excessive force, with dozens of internal investigations launched into claims of brutality against demonstrators.
Following several incidents of apparent police brutality involving AFP reporters covering the protests, the international news agency on Friday called for its journalists to be protected.
The government is struggling to find solutions to the unrest but faces financial constraints because of France's mounting public debt, which has already unsettled financial markets.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu was scheduled to meet with unions and employer federation representatives Monday to discuss wages and purchasing power.
"The only thing that will bring the protests to an end is a response to the demands that have been put forward for several weeks by workers, civil servants, young people and pensioners," an inter-union coalition said Friday.
Student and teacher groups in France have called for another strike Tuesday to maintain pressure on the government for increased education spending. They said they were "in a position of strength (and) the government in a position of weakness and starting to yield."
Meanwhile, polls show far-right candidate Marine Le Pen as the favorite to win the presidency in 2027. Her main rival is currently not one of Macron's centrist former allies but hard-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon, who was scheduled to address a rally later Saturday.
