Ultra-right march banned as Paris braces for return of the Yellow Vests

Police in the French capital have outlawed a torchlight procession by the extreme-right organisation Paris Pride that was planned for Saturday but deemed a "major threat to public order". Several marches involving Yellow Vest protestors are also set to take place ahead of the government's presentation of plans for pension reform.

French CGT labour union protesters hold a banner during a demonstration, as part of a nationwide strike for higher wages and pensions, in Paris, France, November 10, 2022. REUTERS - GONZALO FUENTES

Details of the controversial pension reform plan will be published on Tuesday. The proposed changes, which include pushing the retirement age from 62 to 65, have been opposed by leftwing politicians, by the far right and the trade unions.

The Yellow Vest movement, a grassroots response to fuel price increases in 2018, is to make a return to the streets to continue its campaign for greater social justice.

Food and fuel price increases, hospital overcrowding and a scarcity of popular medicines have led to calls for a renaissance of the Yellow Vests, a predominantly rural and local movement without an overall national organisation or clear leadership.

French President Emmanuel Macron has called on the French to accept the need to work longer, and has promised that 2023 will be the year in which the heavily endebted pension system will finally be put on an efficient financial foundation.

Efforts by the government to show flexibility on some aspects of the reform have so far failed to convince opponents.

Opponents promise to rock the boat

Far left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon has warned that "January will be hot" as he promised to fill the streets with opponents of presidential reform plans.

"There's a lot simmering out there," says Frédéric Dabi, director of the polling agency Ifop. "A single spark could set the whole country ablaze."

Two separate opinion polls have recently indicated that a majority of French voters accept that the pension system can not be allowed to continue as at present, with an ageing population guaranteeing that the gap between income and expenditure will continue to widen.

France has seen a succession of strikes this winter, in public transport, the heath sector, oil refineries. Most work stoppages have been motivated by bread-and-butter issues in the face of inflation, which is running at 6 percent.

Pollsters at the BVA France agency say that most members of the public are "tired and fed up" after a litany of crises.

According to Adelaïde Zulfikarpasic of BVA, it's hard to predict if that sense of gloom "will lead to a major social upheaval or simply fizzle out in a reaction of resignation".