France protests for fifth Saturday against living costs and heavy-handed policing

France is bracing for a fifth weekend of protests as new grievances take center stage. Demonstrators will voice their frustrations over inflation, opposition to a new police bill, and more. The country has seen high-school blockades and cost-of-living demonstrations for over a month, ahead of presidential elections next year, which the far right views as their best chance at power.

The Yellow Vest movement will join high-school students, unions, and other activists at the protests. Some rallies have experienced fringe violence and accusations of police brutality. Claire Bourdille, a collective member battling violence against children and teenagers, stated that society is in bad shape and that they can't focus on one cause more than another.

A new bill in parliament aims to grant police with weapons a presumption of legitimate self-defense. Supporters, including the far-right National Rally party of presidential hopeful Marine Le Pen, argue it is necessary to avoid police being automatically suspected of using disproportionate force. However, opponents, including activists and the far-right National Rally party, claim the bill amounts to a "licence to kill" and would make holding security forces accountable even more difficult.

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