France: A few actions at the start of a test day for the convergence of "anger"

A Saturday of joint mobilization for different "angers": a few rare actions were recorded Saturday morning at the call of former yellow vests, high school students, university students, climate activists and even farmers who called for a multifaceted day against the "high cost of living".

Before the demonstrations expected in the early afternoon in several cities, several announced operations did not take place, AFP journalists observed, such as at the tollbooth on the Île de Ré bridge and in Bordeaux, among others.

Six months before the presidential election, the call to revive the yellow vest movement, which had marked Emmanuel Macron's first term, met with the protest of high school and university students for better study conditions and brought back to the top of the political agenda the question of the place offered to young people.

On the website 17octobregiletjaune.net , the call to action is also addressed to residents of the neighborhoods, farmers, workers or retirees, who are invited to take to the streets and roundabouts or around strategic points.

In Rennes, around twenty people set up a filtering barricade, with garbage cans and large pallets, near a large shopping center.

Christophe, a 47-year-old carpenter and former Yellow Vest protester, says he was injured in 2018 during the third protest by a flash-ball round. "Today, we're seeing repression against our own children," he told AFP indignantly.

In Lyon, "a group of 40 individuals was dispersed" near a bridge over the Rhône linking the Presqu'île to the city center, "after an attempt to obstruct traffic", according to the prefecture, and a group of about ten people was also dispersed near the Feyzin refinery.

In Marseille, the main boulevard of Prado was temporarily blocked by garbage cans and scooters before being cleared by the riot police who followed the protesters.

"We are here to protest against the deplorable resources given to education and against police violence. The youth, for their part, are saying: we have a message: we just want to be educated in good conditions," Aude, a student, wearing a mask, told AFP.

The scale of the mobilization for the rest of the day remains difficult to anticipate, on the first day of the school holidays and while an inter-union group has called on public and private sector employees to demonstrate and strike on November 5, particularly for wages and public services.

"The government needs to provide political answers on its budget, on the issue of wages, on the fuel price freeze," said Agathe Le Berder, a member of the CGT confederal bureau, on RMC on Saturday. The CGT union supports actions where "the conditions are right."

- Stun grenades authorized –

Some 1,500 actions, demonstrations or blockades were announced throughout France on the dedicated website.

Emmanuel Macron, speaking from Brussels on Friday, called for "calm", stating that the "right to demonstrate" must be accompanied by "respect" without "insulting" or "breaking".

"Outbreaks are anticipated in the marches, particularly in Paris and in major cities," and "blocking actions on major, important, essential roads and facilities will not be tolerated," warned Laurent Nuñez's entourage.

Stun grenades, the use of which was suspended for the high school movement after serious incidents, may be used in the event of "extremely serious urban violence", according to the minister.

According to a police source, some 150,000 demonstrators are expected outside the Paris metropolitan area, and around 40,000 in Paris.

The route of the Parisian march was the subject of intense discussions with the police prefecture, which issued orders prohibiting demonstrations in several strategic areas, around the Élysée Palace, Matignon, and including the Champs-Élysées. Student and high school organizations, which have been requesting a meeting with the Prime Minister for over a week, wanted to march "to the centers of power" in the heart of the capital, but this was not authorized.

Finally, the meeting was set for 2 PM at Place de la République, heading towards Place de Clichy for the main parade.

In recent days, the government has attempted to defuse the discontent of certain segments of the population: an envelope of 500 and 700 million euros released for the agricultural recovery plan for 2027, while the specter of a mobilization of farmers has resurfaced, extension of aid for the purchase of fuels.

On the political front, Jean-Luc Mélenchon hailed on X "an important moment where (...) the acute exasperation of many sectors of society will be expressed, in particular the current movement of student and high school youth".

The leader of the Greens, Marine Tondelier, and the head of the Communist Party, Fabien Roussel, will also be demonstrating.