French protesters plan more demonstrations this week ahead of general strike as anger grows

France is bracing for further significant nationwide disruption in the coming days as trade unions prepare to escalate street demonstrations into a coordinated general strike.Following another weekend of heated civil unrest that saw more than 1,300 arrests across the country, labour federations and student groups have called for widespread industrial action throughout the week, culminating in a major day of mobilisations and further demonstrations on Saturday 31 October. The general strike is set to follow on November 5. The industrial action threatens to paralyse commuter networks, regional rail services, and secondary schools throughout the week, intensifying pressure on president Emmanuel Macron as the country heads towards presidential elections in six months.Trade unions are calling for mass mobilisation and picket lines across major cities this week (Getty)“We see an aggregation of anger,” Murielle Guilbert, co-leader of the left-wing Solidaires trade union federation, told BFM TV. She said grievances from students, workers, firefighters and other groups were converging. “We call on people to take to the streets next Saturday.”Interior minster, Laurent Nuñez, has warned the state is “clearly expecting risk of more trouble” after union leaders urged workers across public transport, energy, and education to strike in demand of government intervention over soaring living costs, high taxation, and deteriorating school conditions.Further demonstrations are planned along key transit corridors in Paris, while student organisations in Lyon and Marseille are organising campus blockades and secondary school walkouts. Local authorities across the south and west have warned commuters to expect severe bottlenecks near major transport hubs.In an effort to regain control, president Macron and his government have introduced nighttime curfews in hotspots across Paris, Lyon, Nice, and Lille, while under decrees issued by the Élysée outline that only officially recognised union marches will receive permits to demonstrate.70,000 officers were brought in to manage demonstrators over the weekend (AFP/Getty)Addressing the unrest, Mr Macron insisted that “the priority is a return to calm”, accusing fringe rioters of “sedition” and alleging the worst violence was driven by organised factions “aiming to bring down the republic”. Authorities have turned to fast-track courts to hand down immediate prison sentences for vandalism, arson, and looting.The security clampdown follows Saturday’s rallies, which saw widely varying estimates of 400,000 to 800,000 demonstrators on the streets nationwide, monitored by a deployment of 70,000 police officers.While the weekend’s daytime marches were largely peaceful, clashes erupted in several urban centres as night fell. In Paris, riot police deployed tear gas, water cannon, and elite anti-crime units near Porte de Vincennes after masked groups smashed car dealership windows and erected barricades, resulting in 142 arrests in the capital. Similar skirmishes broke out across the country. Protests across the country have turned increasingly violent in recent weeks (AFP/Getty)In Marseille, demonstrators set rubbish bins ablaze, where local officials confirmed seven businesses were damaged or looted, while in Lyon, police fired tear gas to disperse crowds gathered in restricted zones. In Bordeaux, protesters dismantled wooden hoardings from buildings to reinforce street barriers.The clashes left 53 police officers injured and two demonstrators seriously wounded, including a 20-year-old in Toulouse whose fingers were severed by a detonating device.Anticipating further volatile clashes heading into this weekend, Nuñez has vowed that the state will not back down, pledging an "extremely robust" deployment of security forces in the face of further disorder.Security measures will remain in place, according to authorities (AFP/Getty)With restrictions still in place across several municipalities, police commanders are preparing for renewed street tensions when walkouts begin.Union organisers, however, maintain that government crackdowns will only drive higher turnout across picket lines this week, warning that industrial action will persist until ministers address demands over the cost-of-living crisis.