Macron faces fresh misery as 30,000 protesters to descend on Paris over fuel price spike

Denis Jacob, secretary general of police union Alternative Police, warned that around 30,000 people are expected to attend demonstrations in the French capital today, for the second weekend of “yellow vest” protests which have brought the nation to a grinding halt. He warned that security forces are concerned far-right and far-left activists may attend the protests to escalate tensions. He said: “We know there are ultra-right and ultra-left infiltrators. You can also expect gangs from the suburbs and ‘black-blocks’.”

READ MORE: France: Violence flares up as Emmanuel Macron refuses to back down

Around 3,000 police officers have been drafted in to supervise events in Paris today, which will also include a demonstration against sexual violence, and a number of high-profile sporting matches.

Protestors clad in fluorescent yellow jackets – which all motorists in France are obliged to have in their cars – have been blocking highways across the country for over a week by burning barricades and through convoys of slow-moving trucks.

They have also blocked fuel depots, shopping centres and some factories across France.

The unrest has left two dead and 606 people injured in mainland France, the French Interior Ministry said on Thursday. Protests have also spread to French territories abroad, including the Indian Ocean island of Reunion, where cars were set ablaze.

Protestors are angry over spiralling fuel prices, which have seen diesel costs soar by 16 percent from an average 1.24 euros per litre to 1.48 euros, and even hitting 1.53 euros in October.

President Macron has also faced sharp criticism for taxes he introduced last year on diesel and petrol in a bid to encourage people to move to more environmentally friendly modes of transport.

Notably, taxes were increased by 8 centimes last January in diesel, and by 4 centimes on petrol.

Taxes are also set to increase by another 6.4 centimes on diesel in 2019, and by 2.9 centimes for petrol.

Paris authorities have permitted demonstrations to take place next to the Eiffel Tower on Saturday, but have rejected requests to hold protests on Place de la Concorde.

Macron commented previously on the protests, stating: “I hear the anger, and it’s a fundamental right in our society to be allowed to express it.”

However, French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner has branded the protests as “political” and accused President Macron’s opponents, Les Républicains, of being being them.

He told BFMTV: “It’s a political protest with the Republicans behind it, and it’s irrational because the rising taxes have been compensated by the decline in the oil market.

“We hear the protests, we hear the anger, I know the situation, but we have to explain that it’s essential that we exit fossil fuels.”