Day of protest in France: tension ahead of nationwide demonstrations

afp/dpa | In France, nerves are on edge and tension is high: nationwide demonstrations are expected again this Saturday, with authorities fearing riots like last weekend.

A massive police presence is intended to prevent violence and looting, as Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez announced. 70,000 officers would be deployed across the country. There are numerous calls for acts of violence and looting, which are obviously messages from the rioters. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said in the evening during a visit to Limoges, where the town hall burned last weekend: “The threat level is still high.”

According to the Interior Minister, a number of demonstrations have already been banned. Rallies that are accompanied by the organizers with a security service would be permitted, “and provided that they of course do not take place in places where looting, disruption of public order and the like could occur.”

In Paris, a demonstration registered by the unions was allowed, but the route was adjusted. The organizers reacted with outrage. According to media reports, unions want to take action against the regulation in the administrative court. There were also preliminary disputes over the route of demonstrations in other cities. Regardless of the restrictions on rallies, Nuñez said curfews remained in effect in sensitive areas of the cities.

“What happened on October 17th is completely unacceptable,” said the Interior Minister, referring to the serious riots with millions in damages on the sidelines of demonstrations last Saturday. The images of massive destruction and violence on France's streets also caused concern and unrest abroad.

The young people who have been demonstrating for weeks for better equipment in schools were joined by other groups at rallies in numerous cities over the weekend, among other things to demonstrate against the high cost of living.

In a speech, President Emmanuel Macron accused “ultra-left” groups of attempting a coup in connection with the riots. The “organized groups” committed “seditious” acts with the aim of “overthrowing the Republic,” said Macron.

Because of fears of new violence, shop owners in the center of the capital Paris, among others, began installing chipboard in front of their shop windows. The city administration called on traders, residents, restaurateurs and companies to remove, if possible, objects that could be used as projectiles or barricades or set on fire.

The tense situation in France was further fueled on Friday by an act of violence, although there was no direct connection to the social protests and unrest in the country. A man fired an automatic weapon from a car in communities near Paris. One person was killed and five others were injured. The man was arrested a short time later. President Macron spoke of a racist terrorist attack.

Before the renewed demonstrations, the head of state sat down with protesting students for the first time on Friday afternoon. Macron wanted to receive high school students and representatives of their organizations to “listen to their demands and concerns,” the Élysée Palace said. As a further step to reach out to the protesters, the government wants to bring forward the increase in the minimum wage planned for January, the newspaper “Les Échos” reported.

Representatives of the French students who have been demonstrating for weeks have announced further protests after a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron. After Friday's meeting, student representative Nathanaël Combary called on demonstrators to "continue to mobilize." Accordingly, Macron offered the student representatives a “reform of school democracy” as well as a “complete overhaul” of the Parcoursup platform, which students must use to apply for university courses.

Combary said after the meeting that he welcomed the fact that Macron had listened to the representatives of student organizations. “But we are not satisfied, we are waiting for our meeting with the Prime Minister,” he added. French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has announced that he will receive representatives of student organizations on Monday. Meanwhile, new protests are planned for the weekend.

Macron invited representatives of student organizations to the Elysée Palace. He said he wanted to “listen to their demands and concerns.” The approximately 20 student representatives spent almost three hours in the presidential palace. After the meeting, student representative Louis Letoublon said: “We remain very suspicious because Emmanuel Macron has pursued a policy of destroying public education.”

According to the Elysée Palace, after the meeting with the representatives of student organizations, Macron wanted to visit a barracks in the 19th arrondissement of Paris to “express his thanks to the security forces” and to meet the officers injured during operations over the weekend.

The US rating agency Moody's left France's credit rating unchanged - the rating remains at Aa3 with a negative outlook. Moody's said on Friday that "the Aa3 rating assumes that a 2027 budget will be adopted that reduces the deficit, while financing costs and social tensions will ease somewhat in France in the coming months."

A downgrade had been widely expected, which would have brought France's credit rating down to the level of other major agencies, Fitch and S&P. Moody's noted that Friday's statement does not constitute a rating action "and does not indicate the likelihood of a rating action in the near future." Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu expressed relief. Moody's unchanged assessment of France's creditworthiness refutes “the pessimistic forecasts”.

France is in worse financial shape than it has been for a long time. The government expects total debt to amount to 121.7 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) next year. Measured in terms of economic performance, France is one of the most indebted EU countries. The interest burden this year amounts to almost 80 billion euros.

Lecornu is currently trying to pass the 2027 budget in parliament. However, he still lacks the majority for the targeted spending cuts of 43 billion euros. And these savings would also reduce France's national deficit to only five percent of economic output - significantly more than the upper limit of three percent applicable to EU members.