French police have tightened security around the presidential palace in Paris as tens of thousands of people are expected to take to the streets in the capital and across the country for a fourth consecutive weekend of protests against President Emmanuel Macron's government.
Around 70,000 police officers and gendarmes were deployed across France to prevent violence, following clashes during demonstrations on October 17 that authorities described as among the worst riots in years.
In Paris, police had banned a planned Yellow Vests rally at Place de la Concorde, near the Elysée Palace, where Macron resides. The movement, whose protests shook Macron’s presidency in its early years, urged supporters to defy the ban.
“We are calling for mass disobedience,” said Benjamin Ball, a member of the movement's coordinating committee, describing the ban as an attempt to restrict the right to protest.
Trade unions planned a separate march in Paris, while demonstrations were also reported in Marseille, Bordeaux and Lille.
Police said they had carried out more than 840 identity checks at railway stations across Paris and its suburbs by late Saturday morning. Shops in the capital and other cities boarded up their windows amid fears of looting.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez warned that the risk of violence remained high, saying police would be ready to respond to rioting and looting.
The protests, which began in late September over conditions in schools, have since drawn university students and trade unions. Unions have also raised concerns over wages, purchasing power and public services.
Macron’s government faces pressure to address protesters' demands amid mounting public debt. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu is due to meet union and employer representatives on Monday to discuss wages and purchasing power, while student and teacher groups have called for another strike on Tuesday to demand increased education spending.
The unrest comes as France prepares for the 2027 presidential election. Far-right leader Marine Le Pen is leading in opinion polls, while hard-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon, described as her main rival, was scheduled to address a rally later on Saturday.
France's protests are part of a wider wave of Gen Z-led demonstrations across Europe this year, although they have been among the largest on the continent.
Hooded rioters looted stores in Frankfurt late last Saturday after tens of thousands of people took to the streets in Germany's biggest cities to demand better education and lower living costs.
Clashes erupted in Italy last month between police and protesters during demonstrations over poor public services and the rising cost of living. Spain and Portugal, meanwhile, have seen protests over housing.
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