French authorities detained dozens of people on Saturday as protests against the rising cost of living spread across the country, offering an indication of the social tensions confronting France ahead of elections to choose President Emmanuel Macron’s successor.
The demonstrations come months before the two-round presidential election scheduled for April and May. They follow weeks of high-school student blockades demanding improved learning conditions, some of which have escalated into violent confrontations and prompted criticism from rights groups over alleged excessive police force.
The main demonstration in Paris was scheduled to begin at 1200 GMT, or 5pm Pakistan time, at Place de la République.
The Yellow Vest movement, which emerged eight years ago in opposition to planned fuel tax increases under Macron’s government, called for Saturday’s protests under the slogan “yellow and youth”. Organisers appealed to teachers, students, workers, pensioners and farmers to participate on the first day of the half-term school holidays.
Clashes and Arrests Reported
Small gatherings took place across France on Saturday morning.
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In Rennes, in western France, around 20 people erected a barricade using rubbish bins and large pallets near a shopping mall.
Christophe, a 47-year-old carpenter and former Yellow Vest protester who declined to give his surname, said he was angered by what he considered police brutality against teenagers in recent weeks.
“We’ve reached the point where the repression is targeting our own children,” he told AFP.
In the southern city of Marseille, an AFP photographer witnessed protesters attacking a police building. Demonstrators clashed with officers, who responded with tear gas, and briefly blocked a major road using rubbish bins and scooters before police cleared the route.
“We’re here to protest the deplorable resources allocated to education and against police brutality,” said Aude, a masked student who did not provide her surname.
Paris Sees Detentions and Property Damage
In Paris, police detained around 60 people on Saturday morning, AFP reporters said. Authorities had banned demonstrations around government buildings, the Champs-Élysées shopping avenue and railway stations.
Police officers also asked passersby to show identification outside Saint-Lazare station, according to AFP.
Earlier in the day, protesters wearing balaclavas threw projectiles and smashed windows at the headquarters of CNews, a right-leaning television broadcaster.
Benjamin Ball, an activist involved in a website promoting the demonstrations, said the protests had grown beyond individual movements.
“It’s not just a Yellow Vest movement, it’s not just a student movement, it’s all the people who are rising up and that’s why those in power are afraid,” he said.
Organisers said more than 600 demonstrations were planned across France.
Cost of Living Fuels Public Concern
Economic pressures remain a central concern for many French households. A survey of 2,000 people published earlier this month found that around 45% were worried about the cost of living and inflation.
Macron called for calm and respect on Friday evening while attending European Union talks in Brussels. He said the right to protest must go hand in hand with respect for people and property.
The protests have also drawn responses from across France’s political spectrum as parties position themselves ahead of the presidential election.
Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of the left-wing France Unbowed party, has supported the student protests and joined a demonstration on Tuesday. Marine Le Pen, leader of the National Rally, has positioned her party in support of the police, while leading in opinion polls for the presidential race, according to the report.
The demonstrations bring together concerns about household expenses, education funding and police conduct. Their scale and intensity may offer a measure of public discontent as France approaches a pivotal election season.
