Cost-of-living demonstrations to grip pre-election France

The Yellow Vest movement is back in the spotlight. Born out of a frustration over rising fuel costs eight years ago, it's attempting to reassert itself as seen here in Marseille. At its peak in 2018, its weekly protests in Paris drew 300,000 people. But they also attracted a violent element intent on causing destruction. The government estimated that over the course of a year, around 217 million euros worth of property damage occurred. Now it's calling for protests against the high cost of living. This mobilization aligns with the students' anger, a convergence between the yellow vests and Gen Z. We're here for our children. As for the demands regarding high schools, I swear to you that we will make them heard everywhere. Some motorists are showing their support. The price hikes. We just can't cope anymore. We work just so we can afford to go to work. The high school students who've been protesting for weeks are counting on the support of other groups, including firefighters, taxi drivers and farmers. They believe the movement's growth will have a greater impact on the government. Calls to action are spreading on social media, with the Yellow Vests posting a map of their planned gatherings online. At least 250 demonstrations are expected, raising fears of unrest, like on Tuesday, when demonstrators and police clashed. The Interior Minister warned that in the case of violent encounters, the use of all available countermeasures has been authorized. Police officers and gendarmes must be able to use the full range of intermediate weapons at their disposal, from tear gas grenades to less lethal projectile launchers, in extremely difficult circumstances, particularly when a situation escalates into urban violence or rioting. In response, some businesses are already taking precautions. This tradesman has been tasked with installing the protective measures. Clients call us before demonstrations so they can secure their storefronts. We hope this doesn't grow the scale we saw during the Yellow Vest movement, but we shall see. A movement that began in 2018 and lasted for more than a year.