New French protests focus on children and police

In France, protests targeting children's rights and police legislation are gaining momentum as demonstrators gather across the country for the fifth consecutive Saturday. The EU's second-largest economy has been experiencing high-school blockades and cost-of-living demonstrations for over a month, with tensions escalating ahead of the upcoming presidential elections.

The main rally in Paris is set to take place at 1.00pm, alongside numerous other gatherings nationwide. Some of these rallies have seen fringe violence, along with accusations of police brutality. The Yellow Vest movement, alongside high-school students, unions, and other activists, is advocating for children's rights and opposing a bill that would grant police more protection in the use of their weapons.

The new bill, backed by the far-right National Rally party, which presidential hopeful Marine Le Pen represents, aims to provide police with a presumption of legitimate self-defense when using their weapons. Critics argue that this legislation could result in a "licence to kill," making it extremely difficult to hold security forces accountable in a country where most alleged police brutality cases rarely make it to a criminal court.

Activists are demanding better protection for children against sexual abuse, while others protest the new bill claiming it would make it nearly impossible to hold security forces accountable. Lawyers have denounced alleged police violence at recent protests, resulting in mutilations such as hand, foot, and eye injuries. With activist fatigue mounting after a month and a half of protests, the upcoming Paris protest could see a different dynamic, with child rights activists on one side and those opposing the "licence to kill" on the other.