French President Emmanuel Macron pledged to prevent a repeat of last weekend’s riots and looting, as the Yellow Vest movement filed plans for a major Paris march on Saturday that will present the government with its next big test.
Macron said yesterday that those seeking to cause disorder at the next protests would be stopped, while Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu met union leaders in an effort to defuse one of the worst crises France has faced in recent years.
A representative of the ‘Gilets Jaunes’ (Yellow Vests) movement, a grassroots group not tied to the unions, presented plans for a march across the heart of Paris, including areas that were ransacked just days ago.
Student groups have also called for protests the same day to push demands for greater investment in education.
Yellow Vest activists are seeking to revive their campaign, which emerged in 2018, against rising living costs and declining public services.
Last weekend’s demonstrations rapidly degenerated into rampant violence, especially in Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Limoges, which the overwhelmed police took hours to contain.
Highlighting investor concern over the situation, French government borrowing costs have jumped this week, pushing benchmark 10-year bond yields to 5 per cent, their highest level since July 2002.
Analysts said the move reflected worries that the unrest could complicate government efforts to repair strained public finances at a time of already mounting budget pressures.
Macron said he would meet intelligence officials, Lecornu and other ministers today to obtain a detailed account of the October 17 unrest.
“Those who want to cause disorder in city centres next Saturday will be prevented from doing so,” Macron told reporters during a visit to Qatar, where he has been seeking energy deals as France grapples with rising fuel costs.
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