PARIS — France is preparing for a day of intense protests organized for this Saturday (17) that promise to take to the streets of Paris and dozens of cities across the interior of the country, with authorities paying particular attention to possible violent confrontations.
In addition to numerous marches, potential road blockades and disruptions of food and fuel supply points are expected, as well as service shutdowns.
According to the government itself, at least 90 demonstrations and 250 simultaneous acts are planned throughout the day. Apps created to assist in organizing the protesters cite more than 700 demonstrations and 1,500 planned actions.
The mobilizations are expected to bring together students, unions, truck drivers, firefighters, health workers, and representatives of the agribusiness sector around demands that, now, converge on the high cost of living for the population.
In Paris, the demonstrators cite simultaneous acts in different regions of the capital, such as the Champs-Élysées, Place de l’Étoile, Place de la République and the Bastille. The city hall guarantees that in some of these points gatherings will not be allowed. Late Friday afternoon (early afternoon in Brasília), an exceptional order was issued by the security sector prohibiting acts in strategic areas from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
The movement gained momentum on social networks since September and brings together groups with diverse demands, including high school and university students, left-wing activists, and supporters of the so-called Yellow Vests, who led a wave of protests in 2018 and 2019.
The mobilization includes issues such as education, health, police violence, the price of fuels, the environment, and even a strong resistance to the recent agreement signed between the European Union and Mercosur.
Government intelligence sectors monitored the organization of the acts in recent days and saw the manifestations of Saturday taking shape on different fronts, with the potential to gather more than 100,000 people outside of Paris alone.
Events are planned in cities such as Lyon, Nantes, Rennes, Grenoble, and Toulouse, as well as other localities.
Read also: Yellow Vests: what the 2018 movement in France was that could resurface in 2026
Reports pointed to the presence of heterogeneous groups, in addition to the risk of spontaneous and poorly organized actions in large university cities.
Read also:
Government fears clashes and damage
The main concern of the authorities is the possibility of clashes and vandalism, especially in large cities. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said he fears the actions of groups from the so-called far-left at the end of some marches and stated that security forces should intervene if blockades impede traffic or access to infrastructures considered essential.
The minister also stated that intermediate-use weapons, including stun grenades, could be used in case of serious clashes.
This stance diverges from the policy adopted since the start of the month, following an incident involving a 15-year-old who lost one of his hands after being hit by a grenade, which led the government to suspend the use of explosive devices against crowds.
