Students, Unions and Yellow Vest Remnants Set to Protest Across France on Saturday
Tens of thousands of people are expected to protest across France on Saturday, October 17, as students, trade unionists and remnants of the Yellow Vest movement join forces to demonstrate against high prices and the country's fraying social model, Reuters reported.
The protests began last month at high schools in Paris's poor northern suburbs, where anger over teacher absences and shabby facilities morphed into a nationwide movement against inequality, weak public spending and falling standards. Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said on Thursday that authorities fear unrest during the protests. The government blames the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) for inflaming the protests, an accusation LFI denies.
"This is a moment of fatigue in the country," Lecornu said. "We are in an atmosphere of perma-crisis: wars, inflation, and issues surrounding purchasing power." Opposition leader Jordan Bardella, whose far-right National Rally leads in polls ahead of next year's presidential election, said he expected violence: "It will be a day of chaos for France." (GSM, based on Reuters reporting)
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 巴黎埃菲尔铁塔夜景。The eiffel tower, paris. Photo by Getfunky Paris, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.
