France faces new wave of rallies over living costs, police powers

Paris, November 14 — France braces for more protests today, as demonstrators voice grievances over inflation, police powers, and the upcoming presidential elections. The nation has experienced high-school blockades and cost-of-living demonstrations for over a month, with clashes erupting in some cases and allegations of police brutality.

The fifth Saturday in a row sees people taking to the streets, including a main rally in Paris at 1pm (6pm Malaysian time) and numerous gatherings nationwide. The Yellow Vest movement will join high-school students, unions, and other activists pushing for children’s rights and opposing a bill that would grant police more protection when using weapons.

Claire Bourdille, a collective member combating violence against children and teenagers, stated, "Society's in bad shape. We can't focus on one cause more than another." Recent months have seen activists demand enhanced protection for children against sexual abuse. Meanwhile, supporters of the bill, including the far-right National Rally party led by presidential hopeful Marine Le Pen, argue it is essential to prevent police from being unfairly accused of using excessive force.

Critics, such as activists arguing the bill amounts to a "licence to kill," contend the legislation would make it even more challenging to hold security forces accountable. Several cases of alleged police brutality have resulted in "mutilations," including hand, foot, and eye injuries, according to lawyers who denounced these incidents last week.

Karl Ghazi, from the CGT union, warned that Saturday's protest in Paris could be different due to "real activist fatigue" after a month and a half of protests. He noted that the gathering might consist of child rights activists on one side and opponents of the "licence to kill" on the other.

Approximately 146,000 individuals participated in demonstrations across France on Saturday last week, significantly fewer than previous weekends. The largest protests in recent weeks took place during a union-led strike on Thursday last week, with over half a million people taking to the streets nationwide. Unions have called for another day of strikes on Tuesday, rejecting a government promise to increase the minimum wage by 0.6 percent as "crumbs."