France Warns of Unrest Ahead of Weekend Student Protests

French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said on Thursday, Oct. 15, that authorities feared unrest during protests planned for the weekend, as student demonstrations enter a fourth week. Reuters

Hundreds of new demonstrations were announced across France for Saturday. Thousands of students have barricaded entrances to high schools and taken to the streets for over three weeks. BBC

The student protesters were expected to be joined by workers' unions and by key figures from the yellow vest movement. Jérôme Rodrigues, a prominent gilets jaunes activist, used Instagram to encourage people to join Saturday's demonstrations.

Lecornu suggested that student anger was being manipulated as politics heats up ahead of next year's presidential election. President Emmanuel Macron said the student protesters are being "exploited" by political forces, according to a spokeswoman. AFP

The premier alleged that the student movement had been instrumentalised by the allies of France Unbowed for electoral reasons. Lecornu said 248 students had been injured during the protests, most often in cases of urban violence.

Student unions vowed on Oct. 9 to keep up protests after what they called their first win. An earlier protest on Thursday last week drew 71,500 people, according to figures reported on Oct. 8. Reuters

Lecornu has condemned violence at the student protests and promised a 'timeout' for democracy. France has had six prime ministers over the last five years.

The gilets jaunes, or yellow vests, demonstrated against cost-of-living hikes for over a year from 2018.