This Saturday (14), the country is experiencing the fifth national day of mobilization against the increase in the cost of living. The movement, started by high school students, has expanded its reach and brings together unions, associations and organizations defending human rights.
France is holding this Saturday (14) the fifth weekend of protests against the cost of living. More than 300 acts and 70 thousand police officers are expected.
The demonstrations bring together various demands, such as salary adjustments and criticism of police actions. In Paris, the procession will pass through the Place de la Republique and the Bastille.
The yellow vest movement changed its strategy and decided to join the unified march in the capital. The organization registered 338 demonstrations scheduled across the country.
A new national day of strikes and protests is called for next Tuesday (17). The movement received support from the French public sector.
France is holding this Saturday (14) the fifth consecutive weekend of demonstrations by the movement against the increase in the cost of living, in a mobilization that has grown in recent weeks and started to bring together demands far beyond issues linked to the population's purchasing power.
More than 300 acts are planned across the country, according to organizers.
In Paris, unions, associations, students, social movements and human rights organizations decided to march together, in a show of strength that takes place just days before a new national day of strikes called for next Tuesday (17).
The movement emerged from the mobilization of high school students and gradually incorporated demands from different sectors of French society.
This Saturday, the protests include demands for salary increases, more resources for public education, protection of children and adolescents and criticism of the government's security policy.
Among the main themes of the mobilization is the challenge of a proposed law that expands the presumption of legitimacy for the use of weapons by security forces.
Human rights organizations claim that the measure reduces control mechanisms over police actions and are mobilizing to prevent its approval.
The opposition to the project is not new. On September 20, demonstrations held in several French cities brought together almost 50,000 people, according to figures released by the Ministry of the Interior.
The organizers' expectation is that the so-called convergence of agendas will further expand the dimension of the social movement that has taken to the French streets since October.
Faced with the prospect of a new Saturday with strong popular participation, the French government prepared an extensive security operation. The Minister of the Interior, Laurent Nuñez, reported that between 50 and 60 large demonstrations are expected across the national territory.
The number of personnel deployed for the operation totals around 70,000 police officers, the same number employed on the three previous Saturdays, since the intensification of protests that began on October 24.
In Paris alone, authorities estimate the presence of 30,000 to 60,000 participants. Police sources also claim that between 300 and 600 people considered likely to provoke clashes or acts of violence could be present.
In the French capital, the demonstration route was organized to reduce the risk of incidents at the end of the march. The procession must depart from Praça da República at 1 pm (local time), pass through the Bastille and continue to Praça da Nação.
According to the organizers and authorities, the route was chosen to facilitate the participation of families with children and allow them to leave the demonstration before it ends, a moment that often concentrates tensions between police and radical groups.
Clashes during the dispersion of protests have become a recurring element of the mobilizations recorded in recent weeks in several cities in France.
The national coordination of the yellow vests, which has participated in organizing the protests since October 17, recorded on Friday (13) a total of 338 demonstrations scheduled for this Saturday.
The movement, which denounces the loss of purchasing power and the increase in daily expenses, decided this time to participate in the unified march in Paris.
The choice represents a change in strategy compared to the previous Saturday. At the time, the yellow vests had opted for a separate mobilization in Praça da Concordia.
The act ended up frustrated after the ban determined by the authorities and had a limited duration.
In addition to demands linked to the cost of living, the group intends to take to the streets proposals for institutional reform and demands that, according to its organizers, seek to "change French democracy."
The expansion of agendas reflects the transformation of a movement - initially focused on the economic impact of inflation - into a more comprehensive social contestation.
Although Paris focuses the attention, important demonstrations are also planned in different regions of France.
In Bordeaux (southwest), Toulouse (southwest) and Rennes (west), civil society organizations called for actions against violence committed against children and adolescents.
Protests organized by unions are also planned in these same cities.
In some cases, local authorities have ordered processions to take place outside central areas to reduce disruption and avoid clashes. Marseille (south) will have two distinct demonstrations throughout the day, while Lyon (east) will host acts focused mainly on issues related to climate and youth.
The regional unions of the General Confederation of Labor, the CGT, and the central Força Operária in the Paris region also called for participation in the march in the capital.
The two entities, however, did not make a national call to join this Saturday's movement, preferring to concentrate their efforts on the mobilization scheduled for the next few days.
The scenario of social tension is unlikely to diminish after this Saturday's demonstrations. A new day of strikes and protests is scheduled for Tuesday (17), at the initiative of the CGT, the largest union in the country. On Friday (13), CFDT announced the public sector's adherence to the movement.
The decision was taken after the government rejected a union demand to increase the index used as a reference for calculating public servants' salaries.
The refusal increased discontent among State employees and opened a new front of pressure on the Executive.
With protests spread across the entire French territory, participation of unions, students, associations, social movements and human rights organizations, this fifth Saturday of mobilizations confirms the consolidation of a movement that began with criticism of the increase in the cost of living and evolved into a broader challenge to the French government's policies.
