France is preparing for another weekend of demonstrations, with students and labor unions expected to march in central Paris on Saturday, November 7, over the cost of living and conditions in schools. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said 70,000 police and security personnel would be deployed across the country, according to DW.
The authorized march is planned as a joint action by students and unions in support of young people. The Yellow Vest movement has declined to join it and is instead calling for what it describes as “mass disobedience” at a separate gathering at Place de la Concorde. Authorities have banned that event, DW reported.
Nuñez said security forces would be ready to respond to rioters and looters. The deployment follows weeks of protests that have included clashes with police. During a nationwide strike on Thursday, November 5, police made more than 600 arrests, according to DW. The Associated Press also reported large demonstrations that day and cited the planned deployment of 70,000 officers.
Unions press government on wages and public services
The latest protest wave began with students demanding improvements to the national education system. Labor unions have added calls for higher wages and tax reforms, while the government has said it intends to raise the minimum wage and increase funding for schools and teaching staff.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu is scheduled to meet trade and employee unions on Monday. An inter-union coalition said on Friday that protests would continue until the government responds to demands from workers, public employees, young people and pensioners.
The government faces those demands alongside a tight public-finance situation. DW reported that France’s debt stands at 119% of gross domestic product.
Nicole French 
Reid Bentley