Emmanuel Macron has secret bunker outside Paris to hide in if rioters storm Elysee Palace, new book says

Emmanuel Macron has a secret bunker outside Paris where he will hide should the Elysee Palace come under attack by rioters, a book has claimed. The refuge in the Paris suburbs emerged in La Nouvelle Armee des Ombres (The New Army of Shadows), a new book by investigative journalists Pierre Gastineau, Antoine Izambard and Franck Renaud. It comes as France has been rocked by nationwide protests against President Emmanuel Macron's government.Demonstrators have been demanding higher wages and backing a student protest movement that began over staff shortages and education funding. French unions and student groups are set to take to the streets for another day of protests today, while the Yellow Vests movement plans a separate rally in central Paris despite a ban by authorities. The bunker preparations are said to have been partly prompted by the 2018 Yellow Vest uprising, when Mr Macron was attacked during a visit to Le Puy-en-Velay. 'The government trembled' amid the unrest, one author told France Inter on Friday. The book claims French officials drew lessons from the riots of February 1934, which toppled a French government, and began considering plans to evacuate the president in the event of serious civil unrest. French President Emmanuel Macron prepared to meet the French astronaut, a member of the European Space Agency ESA at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, on Monday A protester threw back a tear gas canister during a demonstration as part of a nationwide day of actions as unions hold strikes alongside student-led demonstrations that have gripped the country for weeks in Strasbourg, France, on Thursday Police officers are pictured in front of rubbish bin fire during a demonstration that took place between Place de la République and Place de la Nation in Paris on ThursdayThe authors say authorities fear a victory for Marine Le Pen's National Rally could spark a 'third round' of protests, with radical Left activists, youths and rural militants taking to the streets to challenge the result.They also claim a victory for hard-Left Jean-Luc Melenchon, who current polling suggests could reach the presidential run-off, could provoke 'passive resistance' from within the police force.After speaking to senior sources, the authors say that Paris police chief Patrice Faure has held a series of meetings focused on preparing for the risk of an insurrection. Meanwhile, France's foreign intelligence agency has practiced scenarios in the event of electoral interference. In Paris, police have spent an entire day operating without smartphones to prepare for the possibility of a crippling cyber-attack.It comes after one senior spy warned the authors in April that major revolts were imminent in France. However, intelligence chiefs underestimated the chaos that would unfold on October 17, with the prediction of 60,000 falling dramatically short of the half a million protesters who took to the streets. The demonstrations come less than six months before voters elect a new head of state to replace centrist President Macron, with the hard-Right leading in opinion polls. Protesters burn a garbage bin during a demonstration as part of a nationwide day of actions as unions hold strikes alongside student-led demonstrations that have gripped the country for weeks in Bordeaux on November 5 A protester dressed as Deadpool superhero, rides a toy unicorn during a demonstration demanding higher wages and supporting high school protest movement, in Lyon, France, Thursday, November 5Student groups and trade unions have called for an authorised march in central Paris 'against the high cost of living and in support of young people'.Yellow Vests activists, however, have refused to join, instead calling for a separate rally at Place de la Concorde, near the lower house of parliament and presidential palace, despite a ban by authorities on demonstrations in the area.Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said 70,000 police officers and security forces would be deployed across the country.'If there are any rioters or looters... we'll be ready and waiting for them,' he said.The demonstrations have been largely peaceful, but there have at times been clashes with police or vandalism on their sidelines, including on October 17, when France saw its worst rioting in years.On Thursday, hundreds of thousands of striking workers took to the streets across France in mostly orderly protests, although clashes between demonstrators and police broke out in several cities.Demonstrators tapped into public anger over rising fuel prices and growing resentment that had simmered since the Yellow Vest protests.The Yellow Vest Movement, which gained traction with huge grassroots protests against Mr Macron's government over planned fuel-tax hikes, has since called for its banned rally to go ahead. A car burns as demonstrators look on during a nationwide day of strikes and protests in Lyon, France, November 5In 2018, thousands of demonstrators took to the streets wearing the high-visibility vests that French motorists are legally required to carry in their vehicles, giving the movement its name. Authorities are determined to prevent a repeat of the rioting and looting that marred the October 17 demonstrations, although the interior ministry said Thursday's protests had 'generally gone well' despite 642 arrests.The police response has faced criticism for being heavy-handed, with dozens of internal investigations launched into allegations of brutality against demonstrators.After several instances of apparent police brutality against AFP reporters covering the protests, the international news agency on Friday urged protection for its journalists.Press freedom watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said it had recorded 40 cases of journalists being obstructed in their coverage of the demonstrations by members of the security forces, including 21 cases involving physical violence.Mr Macron's government is grappling for responses to the protests as he approaches the end of his presidency in May 2027.Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu is due to discuss wages and purchasing power with representatives of trade unions and employers' organisations on Monday.'The only thing that will bring the protests to an end is a response to the demands that have been put forward for several weeks by workers, civil servants, young people and pensioners,' an inter-union coalition said on Friday.The unions are calling for an increase in the minimum wage, which has not received any discretionary boost since 2012, across-the-board wage raises, tax reforms and better learning conditions for young people.With the European Union's second-largest economy under pressure to rein in debt, the government has limited scope to appease protesters.