Hundreds of protests expected in France amid high tensions and heavy police presence
A coalition of the “Yellow Vests” movement, labor unions and students will march across France on Saturday with demands centered around studying conditions and purchasing power.
Some 70,000 police will be deployed with authorities fearing ransacking and looting similar to the unrest that erupted last Saturday on the sidelines of protests that saw at least 550,000 participants. Follow our liveblog for the latest updates.
- French President Emmanuel Macron held a defence council of top ministers and officials and met with student union representatives who called for more protests.
- Authorities tightened restrictions and banned specific protests in some major cities such as Lyon and Marseille.
- Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said 70,000 security forces will deploy nationwide for protests Saturday, warning that calls for violence and looting were already circulating on social media.
