France deploys 70,000 security personnel ahead of fresh nationwide protests

French trade unions and student groups are set to stage another day of protests across the country on Saturday, while the Yellow Vests movement plans a separate rally in central Paris despite a ban by authorities. The demonstrations follow weeks of youth-led unrest and nationwide strikes over the rising cost of living and public services. The protests come less than six months before France elects a new president to replace centrist leader Emmanuel Macron, who cannot seek another term. The far right is leading in opinion polls, while the unrest has put pressure on Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu ahead of a meeting with trade unions and employers' organisations on Monday. Student groups and trade unions have called for an authorised march in central Paris "against the high cost of living and in support of young people". The Yellow Vests activists, however, have refused to join the march and instead called for a separate rally at Place de la Concorde, near the lower house of parliament and the presidential palace, despite the authorities' ban. Interior minister Laurent Nunez said 70,000 police officers and security personnel would be deployed across France. "If there are any rioters or looters... we'll be ready and waiting for them," he said.

Yellow Vests call for 'mass disobedience'

The Yellow Vests movement, which staged protests eight years ago against planned fuel-tax hikes under Macron's government, has called on supporters to go ahead with the banned rally. "We are calling for mass disobedience," Benjamin Ball, a member of the movement's coordinating committee, said. The demonstrations in recent weeks have been largely peaceful, although clashes with police and vandalism have occurred on their sidelines. France witnessed its worst rioting in years on October 17, prompting authorities to impose curfews, ban large gatherings and restrict protest routes. On Thursday, hundreds of thousands of workers took part in nationwide strikes and demonstrations. The interior ministry said the protests had "generally gone well" despite 642 arrests, while clashes were reported in several cities. According to Reuters, the interior ministry put Thursday's nationwide protest turnout at 575,000, while the CGT trade union, one of the organisers, estimated that 1.6 million people had participated. The ministry also said 53 police officers were injured and 448 people arrested during the demonstrations. In Paris, police fired tear gas after clashes broke out at the front of the march, while some demonstrators and police also clashed as the protest wound down. In Lyon, riot police fired tear gas and charged a group of protesters.

Unions demand wage rises and better conditions for young people

The unions are demanding an increase in the minimum wage, which has not received a discretionary boost since 2012, across-the-board wage rises, tax reforms and better learning conditions for young people. "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 on Friday. Lecornu is due to discuss wages and purchasing power with representatives of trade unions and employers' organisations on Monday. The latest unrest has brought workers and students together in demonstrations over living costs, public services and education. The one-day strike on Thursday also involved some energy workers and teachers, while just over 15 per cent of teaching staff joined the strike, according to the education ministry. The protests have also drawn criticism of police tactics, with dozens of internal investigations launched into allegations of brutality against demonstrators. The government has defended the police response while saying allegations of abuses would be investigated. France's economy, the second-largest in the European Union, is under pressure to rein in public debt, limiting the government's scope to meet protesters' demands.