France Braces for Nationwide Protests on Saturday as Police Cleared to Use Stun Grenades Again
France is preparing for a new nationwide wave of protests on Saturday, October 17. Citing public broadcaster Franceinfo, authorities expect 200 to 300 protest actions across the country, with demonstrations in major cities and possible gatherings at roundabouts, petrol stations and supermarkets; Spain's El Mundo put the number of demonstrations planned for the day at more than 500.
Leading figures of the Yellow Vest movement, which emerged in 2018 — including Jérôme Rodrigues, Priscillia Ludosky and Maxime Nicolle — have called on people to take to the streets. Protesters' demands include lower fuel prices, opposition to frozen benefits and public-sector pay under the draft budget, and action on the broader rise in living costs. The CGT union, the France Unbowed party and the French Communist Party have also joined the mobilisation.
The day follows three weeks of largely student-led protests in which, according to El Mundo, more than 9,000 people have been arrested and over 1,000 injured, including 930 police officers, 147 teachers and school principals and more than 100 students.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said riot police may again use stun grenades and other intermediate weapons on Saturday if serious violence occurs in major cities. The grenades were suspended last week after a student in the northern city of Lens lost a hand when one exploded as he tried to throw it back at police. President Emmanuel Macron has called for ethics and proportionality in policing the student protests, and Paris police have rerouted two planned demonstrations, citing public-order risks.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：巴黎共和国广场的「黄马甲」抗议集会（资料图）。图片来源：Elekes Andor，Wikimedia Commons，CC BY-SA 4.0。Photo: Yellow vest protesters gathered at Place de la République in Paris (file photo). Image: Elekes Andor, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
