PARIS: Demonstrations began across France on Saturday in what is expected to turn into widespread nationwide protests against high prices and the erosion of a model aimed at providing a minimum of opportunities and social security. The protests started last month in high schools in the poor northern suburbs of Paris, where anger over teacher absenteeism and poor facilities quickly turned into a nationwide protest movement against inequality, weak public spending, and declining service levels.
A heavy police presence was seen in central Paris, especially near famous landmarks such as the Champs-Élysées and the Arc de Triomphe, which were excluded from the two official protest routes. Hundreds of other protests are scheduled to take place across France, with tens of thousands participating. Protesters wearing bright yellow vests blocked streets, in a scene reminiscent of the unrest that marred President Emmanuel Macron’s previous presidential term, while garbage bins were set on fire in Marseille.
Lola, a 19-year-old protester in Paris, said, “We are fighting because the cost of living has become too high, because fuel prices are too high, and because high school students are subjected to violence and injury across the country just for trying to protest and demand more teachers and decent learning conditions.”
Macron is entering the final phase of his presidential term, leaving behind a divided electorate and a highly fragmented political landscape. His long efforts to reduce the growing public debt have also failed to reassure investors who are abandoning French bonds, pushing borrowing costs to their highest levels in more than two decades. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said on Thursday that authorities fear unrest during the protests. The government accused the far-left La France Insoumise party of fueling the protests, an accusation the party denies. Calls circulating on social media for participants from previous protest movements to join the current actions appear to have been answered, indicating the potential for a significant expansion of the protests.
The Yellow Vest movement began in 2018 in protest against diesel fuel taxes before expanding into a wave of anger against rising living costs and income inequality. However, conditions have remained largely calm since Macron agreed to billions of euros in tax cuts.