Fresh protests in France as unions issue stark cost-of-living warning

Fresh protests in France as unions issue stark cost-of-living warning Trade unions are joining forces for nationwide strikes and demonstrations for higher wages as well as in support of the high school protest movement, with hundreds of thousands due to turn out Fresh protests are taking place in France today as unions have issued a stark cost-of-living warning. Trade unions are joining forces for nationwide strikes and demonstrations for higher wages as well as in support of the high school protest movement. Piling pressure on Emmanuel Macron’s under-fire government, hundreds of thousands of people are expected to turn out. After over a month of protests across France, major rallies are again taking place in Paris, Lyon and Marseille. To see more of the stories you value from The Mirror and to find them easily in Google then make us your preferred source. Free and easy-to-do, just click on the link here to find more from The Mirror at the top of your feed. Around 260 rallies against rising living costs were to take place across the country, unions said. Hundreds of high schools were closed or could not operate, some because of protests, others because teachers were joining the strike. Public transportation was heavily disrupted. Police in the northeast city of Strasbourg warned people to be extremely cautious around certain schools. In a joint statement, France's main unions warned France is on the brink of recession and that layoff plans are multiplying. They said: "Fuel, food products, rent, gas, electricity - everything's going up except wages and pensions.” France is mired in debt and is one of the worst economic performers in Europe. The unions put Macron's government and employers on notice. "Anger is immense," they said. "The situation in this country is fragile. The pressing social and environmental challenges must be addressed without delay." French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said that 70,000 police and gendarmes were being deployed. It comes after police have been criticised for injuring protesters with heavy-handed tactics. Many of the demonstrations have been marred by violence, much committed by masked rioters not supporting the demands of students or workers. Authorities in the western region of Brittany said that "masked individuals" tried to block roads in the city of Rennes on Thursday. Young people, often accompanied by adults, committed "serious acts of violence," including throwing steel balls at police. Before the strike action, the government had been negotiating with unions in hope of limiting the rioting, which has resulted in France's worst civil unrest in years. The movement grew from a protest over staff shortages at one high school southeast of Paris in September. It spread nationwide, attracting students demanding more education funding and workers seeking help with soaring fuel and other costs. The rallies come as the election campaign to replace Macron as president in May heats up, and parties have been taking political advantage of the movement. Macron is constitutionally barred from seeking a third consecutive presidential term. Far-right candidate Marine Le Pen is the favourite to win. Some of the candidates, including veteran far-left and anti-capitalist firebrand Jean-Luc Melenchon, have radical solutions, but they appear difficult to put in place, according to Paul Smith, associate professor of French history and politics at the University of Nottingham. He said: "There is a sense of absolute frustration at the government's failure to operate." The academic added: "Whoever wins the presidential election is going to have a stack of problems to cope with."