A nationwide protest rally against the rising cost of living and government spending cuts will be held in France on October 17. This is reported by local media.
The demonstrations are organized by the "yellow vests" movement, leading trade unions, student unions and left-wing parties. At the same time, the French government has already issued a warning.
"The President of the Republic stressed that young people express reasonable concerns. However, he notes that these fears are being used for political purposes and the actions escalate into violence in the streets, which leads to unacceptable situations," said government spokesman Maude Bregon.
In turn, French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said that the authorities are afraid of unrest during the protests scheduled for the weekend.
"It no longer looks like a high school movement; what we have now is a movement of urban violence, the intensity of which has increased even more in recent days," he said.
The French Prime Minister also touched upon the topic of the actions on October 17. According to him, "this is democracy."
"There is a legal framework that protects citizens when they wish to express their dissatisfaction… Are we afraid of violence? Yes," the prime minister said.
Recall that protests of high school students do not stop in France. Lyceum students, dissatisfied with the shortage of teachers and learning conditions, continue to block many schools. Peaceful actions often turn into riots and clashes between young demonstrators and the police. Since the beginning of the protests, about 8 thousand people have been detained, of which almost 90% are minors. French President Emmanuel Macron believes that high school protesters are being "used" by political forces on the eve of the presidential elections in the country, which will be held in April 2027.