France braces for protests as Yellow Vests urge ‘mass disobedience’

Paris: French unions and student groups are set to take to the streets for another day of protests on Saturday, while the Yellow Vests movement plans a separate rally in central Paris despite a ban by authorities.

The demonstrations follow weeks of youth-led unrest and nationwide strikes that drew hundreds of thousands of workers protesting the rising cost of living.

They come less than six months before voters elect a new head of state to replace centrist President Emmanuel Macron, with the far right leading in opinion polls.

Student groups and trade unions have called for an authorized march in central Paris “against the high cost of living and in support of young people.”