France expects up to 300 cost-of-living protests — Anadolu Agency

France expects between 200 and 300 protests against rising living costs on Saturday. Demonstrations are set to take place in the country’s major cities, while participants may also gather at transport interchanges, petrol stations and near supermarkets, Anadolu Agency reports.

Participants’ demands

Prominent representatives of the Yellow Vests movement, which emerged in 2018, called for participation in the protests: Jérôme Rodrigues, Priscillia Ludosky and Maxime Nicolle. Protesters’ demands include lower fuel prices, opposition to the freezing of social benefits and public-sector wages envisaged by the draft budget, as well as measures to address the overall rise in the cost of living.

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According to Franceinfo, the CGT trade union, the France Unbowed party and the French Communist Party have also joined the mobilization.

Restrictions in Paris

French authorities are preparing for possible unrest in Paris and other major cities. The Interior Ministry warned of a risk of clashes involving groups of aggressively minded protesters. In the capital, police partially restricted the proposed demonstration routes and suggested alternative routes for two planned rallies, citing public order concerns and the risk of violence.