Next year’s election campaign has ‘started on streets of France’published at 07:59 BST
07:59 BST
Image source, EPA
“There’s normally a bit of a pattern to this,” Paris-based journalist Francis Collings tells BBC Breakfast.
“What goes on is a fairly party atmosphere initially. People are protesting, they’re enjoying themselves, there’s often music playing, and then it gets taken over.”
Collings says this has become evident in the last few years, dating back to the gilet jaunes (yellow vest) movement in 2018, which demonstrated against cost-of-living hikes for more than a year.
“But the theory put forward by the government – which doesn’t seem to be disagreed with – is this is something where protesters have legitimate
concerns, but it’s taken over by what the government describes as the far-left and criminals,” he continues.
“We’ve almost got three elements to this,” Collings says. “The peaceful protesters, those who want to cause mayhem, and those who want to loot and set things on fire.”
He notes that French President Emmanuel Macron is in the final six months of his tenure, adding: “Arguably, the election campaign for next May has started on
the streets of France.”
Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption,
Protests have taken place in cities across France, including Bordeaux