French Protests Escalate Over Rising Prices and Social Inequality

Demonstrations began across France on Saturday in what was expected to become a major nationwide protest against high prices. Demonstrators also protested the deterioration of a model intended to provide a basic level of opportunity and social security. Hundreds of other protests were planned across France, with tens of thousands of people expected to participate. Protesters wearing high-visibility vests blocked streets, while trash cans were set alight in Marseille.

The protests began last month at high schools in Paris' poor northern suburbs over teacher absences and poor facilities. The protests quickly developed into a nationwide movement against inequality, weak public spending and falling standards. A 19-year-old Paris protester who gave her name as Lola said living costs and fuel prices were too high. Lola said high school pupils across the country were being violently attacked and injured for protesting and requesting more teachers and decent learning conditions.

A large police presence was visible in central Paris, especially near the Avenue des Champs-Elysees and the Arc de Triomphe. The routes of the two official demonstrations excluded those landmarks. Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said on Thursday that authorities feared unrest during the protests. The government accused the hard-left France Unbowed of inflaming the protests. France Unbowed denies the accusation.

The police have drawn criticism over injuries among demonstrators, including an adolescent whose hand was blown off after picking up a stun grenade. Lecornu said more than 900 police had also been injured. The internal police watchdog is investigating at least two dozen cases of alleged police violence. France suspended the use of stun grenades for the student demonstrations. However, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said stun grenades could be used on Saturday. Nunez told Telematin TV on Friday that all types of intermediate weapons could be used if clashes occurred.

President Emmanuel Macron is entering the final stretch of Macron's presidency with a polarized electorate and a badly fragmented political landscape. A long struggle to reduce rising public debt has not impressed investors. Investors are selling French bonds, driving borrowing costs to the highest levels in more than two decades.

Social media calls for members of past protest movements to participate appear to have worked, suggesting the protests could grow significantly. The street blockades echoed unrest during Macron's previous term. The Yellow Vest movement began in 2018 against diesel taxes before expanding into protests over high living costs and income inequality. However, the movement has been largely quiet since Macron agreed to billions of euros in tax cuts. Yannick Maillou, a teacher from La Creche in western France, joined the Yellow Vests in 2018 and remains involved. Maillou said protesters had several nearby meeting points on Saturday. Unions also called for participation.