Gilets jaunes: French minister condemns protest plans

Some gilets jaunes protesters are continuing with plans for further demonstrations across France this weekend, despite minister for the interior Christophe Castaner explicitly calling on them 鈥渢o stop鈥�.

Published Modified

Reports suggest that the area around Versailles could be especially targeted, with the famous palace and grounds confirming that it will close its doors to tourists as a precaution on Saturday.

Dozens of Facebook Groups for further gilets jaunes movement, including one named 鈥�Acte 6 Sacrifice鈥� with 1,600 鈥減articipants鈥� and 7,500 people 鈥渋nterested鈥�: and another called 鈥�Acte 6: Macron D茅mission鈥�, which has 3,700 participants and 28,000 interested.

Another group, 鈥�Acte 6 Paris: Versailles鈥� has 1,400 participants and 78,000 interested.

One comment read: 鈥淚f we do not protest this Saturday, we will be finished. Believe me, it is our last chance.鈥�

Yet, it is unclear whether the protests will attract as many people as in previous weeks, with commentators suggesting that the movement may be losing steam.

Last weekend鈥檚 鈥淎cte V鈥� attracted just 66,000 across the country, amid some reports that protesters were not being allowed to enter Paris and other major cities.

One Facebook Group, 鈥�La France en Col猫re (Angry France)鈥�, today featured a comment from 脡ric Drouet - a gilet jaune who has previously called for protesters to 鈥渆nter the Elys茅e鈥� - calling for a very early start to protests around Versailles, asking people to begin gathering at 5-6h.

Priscilla Dudosky, another movement leader who set up a gilets jaunes petition that gathered more than a million signatures at the peak of the movement, has invited protesters to gather at the country鈥檚 borders.

People will be present near Spain, Germany, Italy and Belgium, she said, to 鈥渂lock vans [but] let individuals through鈥�, in a movement dubbed 鈥�gilets jaunes d鈥橢urope鈥�.

Some protesters already appear to be planning even more events, with some groups mentioning 鈥淎ctes 7 and 8鈥�, and saying that they will 鈥渃elebrate Christmas and New Year as gilets jaunes鈥�, and 鈥減arty on the Champs-Elys茅es鈥�.

One Facebook group, with 5,500 people interested, read: 鈥淟et us find each other on the Champs [on December 31], to celebrate the move into 2019, in our joyful and non-violent fight鈥�.

But minister for the interior Christophe Castaner against continuing protests.

He said: 鈥淭his must stop. Nine people have died - that is also the reality of the gilets jaunes movement. If some - a small minority - want to continue to blockade economic life, that is a very serious undertaking.

鈥淭here is an underlying desire to damage our institutions, and block the system.鈥�

Stay informed:
Sign up to our free weekly e-newsletter
Subscribe to access all our online articles and receive our printed monthly newspaper The Connexion at your home. News analysis, features and practical help for English-speakers in France

Your browser is blocking our login functionality, so we are unable to verify you are a subscriber.
Please try using a different browser or click HERE to visit our FAQs if the issue persists.