Hundreds of demonstrations are set to take place across France, with protesters voicing grievances spanning high prices, social inequality, and a deteriorating education system.
More than 600 demonstrations are planned nationwide, according to protest organizers, making it one of the largest coordinated mobilizations the country has seen in recent years.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez told France 2 television that “a pretty big turnout” was expected, with authorities estimating that nearly 200,000 people would attend across the country.
Of those, approximately 40,000 demonstrators were expected to gather in Paris alone, according to a police source who spoke to the French AFP news agency.
Paris demonstrators will face significant restrictions, with police banning rallies near the Elysee presidential palace, the prime minister’s office, and the Champs-Elysee avenue.
A march through the center of the capital has also been forbidden, with the main Paris demonstration set to begin at the Place de la Republique and head north through the city.
President Emmanuel Macron called “for calm and respect” ahead of the protests, stating that the right to protest must go hand in hand with “respect for people and property.”
Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu warned on Thursday that authorities fear violence could break out, describing the current national mood as one of deep exhaustion.
“This is a moment of fatigue in the country,” Lecornu said. “We are in an atmosphere of perma-crisis: wars, inflation, and issues surrounding purchasing power.”
Jordan Bardella, the head of the far-right National Rally, which leads polls ahead of next year’s presidential election, expressed alarm during a visit to the Paris car show, saying “I’m extremely concerned” and predicting “a day of chaos for France.”
The protests follow weeks of school demonstrations that have already resulted in considerable violence, with several protesters and more than 900 police officers injured during clashes.
In one particularly alarming incident, an adolescent school pupil had one hand blown off and suffered injuries to the other after being struck by a stun grenade.
The internal police watchdog is currently investigating at least two dozen cases of alleged police violence stemming from the earlier demonstrations.
Students are expected to be joined on the streets by trade unionists and remnants of the Yellow Vests movement, which staged mass weekly protests from November 2018 to June 2020 over rising fuel prices and economic inequality.
Jean-Luc Melanchon, the leader of the hard-left France Unbowed party, has backed the student protests and marched in one demonstration, while the government has blamed his party for inflaming widespread public discontent, an allegation France Unbowed has denied.
