‘We are here to help,’ say yellow vests on joining student protests

France’s ‘yellow vest movement’ – comprised of a group of trade unions and citizens – have organised a major nationwide protest on Saturday to voice their objection to the ongoing cost-of-living crisis and rising fuel prices gripping the country.

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Speaking to Euronews, a representative of the movement revealed that the protest was arranged in part to support the student-led mass protests which have rocked the country in recent weeks, demanding the government revamp the education system, increase in school funding and access to resources as well as modernise classrooms and institutions.

“We are here to help them, because we have more experience,” said the representative. “We can keep things calm if there are issues with police or such.”

Originally, two major protests were set to run parallel in the French capital, Paris, each with their own set of asks, though the demands share a lot of overlap.

A protest, organised by the yellow vests, was meant to start from the Place de la Republique, with Place de Clichy pegged as the end destination.

The student-led protest, which shares the start point, was meant to march towards Nation with another group marching towards Place de la Concorde.

When protests started however, around 2 pm local time, the protests seemed to converge into one large mass demonstration at Place de la Republique, prompting security personnel to deploy in large numbers. French media outlets say thousands of people swarmed the popular Parisian square.

“We all have common demands, whether it’s students, high schoolers, the ‘Yellow Vests,’ or the trade unions — we are fighting for better public services, more resources, a better quality of life, better wages, and so on,” said Karl speaking to Euronews’ correspondent in Paris.

“There is less and less money in the public coffers. I don’t know exactly what they should be doing at the Élysée, or which laws they ought to be pushing, but I do know that when I go to the hospital, the resources just aren’t there anymore,” said Damien, a 22-year-old construction worker who travelled from Troyes to participate in the protests in Paris.

“We need to redistribute wealth, so that we can ensure everyone can make it to the end of the month without struggling. We need to ensure our children have access to a decent education. We need to hear the demands of 80% of the population, rather than dismissing them as isolated movements,” said Jessica – another yellow vest protester – to Euronews.

“Instead of continuing to say that these are isolated incidents, I believe that they are actually taking this path because they have seen us become exhausted by previous movements,” she added.

The protests, according to eyewitnesses were largely peaceful. In many places – seen by our correspondents – protesters could be seen chanting peacefully and playing musical instruments. But, they quickly turned violent as masked protesters scuffled with riot control units.

Heavy clashes were reported at Place de la Republique between demonstrators and police forces. Dozens of people were arrested and protesters reported tear gas and water cannons being deployed to disperse the masses.

French presidential hopeful, far-right candidate Marine Le Pen, quickly labelled the rioters as elements of the far-left, who she accused of “poisoning” the spirit of the protests.

“Loot, ransack, destroy, attack law enforcement: the rioters have once again poisoned the October 17 demonstrations in defence of purchasing power,” wrote Le Pen in a post on X.

“Legitimate social demands have once again been held hostage by the far left and the speeches of Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s deputies, who, by legitimizing violence, viewing order as oppression and disorder as a right, seek to plunge the country into chaos.”

“We will free them from Macronist toxic policies and protect them from the violence of the far left,” she added.

Beyond Paris, protests took part in several other major cities, including the country’s second largest, Marseille and Lyon.

Local officials in Marseille say several people were arrested after protesters managed to breach the city’s town hall after ramming the doors with security barriers.

The town hall in the city of Grenoble also faced similar incidents where protesters were able to briefly break-in. Local officials there reported some damage in the building after police forces were able to contain the situation.

In Lyon, protesters set fire to a tourism office. The attack occurred in a central square where groups of hooded youths were throwing projectiles and fireworks mortars at the police, who responded with tear gas, dispersal grenades and a water cannon.

The protests follow four weeks of student demonstrations over a range of issues, including teacher absences, overcrowded classrooms, and outdated facilities.

The rising cost of fuel, caused by the US-Israeli war on Iran and the subsequent closure of the strategic Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil typically flows, have spiralled an already bad cost-of-living crisis, causing widespread discontent across the country.

Protesters accuse the government of not doing enough to intervene in the ongoing crises and of mismanaging public funds. They have vowed to continue protesting until their demands are met.