Yellow Vests are back, and France is bracing for another wave of cost-of-living protests

Paris, October 17 - France is bracing for nationwide protests over the cost of living, as the Yellow Vest movement and student demonstrators join forces for what authorities fear could be a significant wave of unrest. President Emmanuel Macron has called for calm, but authorities estimate up to 200,000 people could participate, with around 40,000 in Paris alone.

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez expressed hope that various struggles could converge, while Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu fears clashes after recent student protests turned violent. The unrest is troubling Macron ahead of April and May elections to choose his successor, as opposition parties seize on the demonstrations. Organizers have planned hundreds of actions across the country, with police prepared to use stun grenades in case of extreme violence.