The scenes of dozens of high school students kneeling behind their backs during the massive arrests carried out by the French authorities have raised Friday's denunciations as the country prepares for a new wave of violence during the upcoming Saturday protests of the "yellow jackets" protestors.Left-wing politicians were angered by video recordings on social media of a young woman bending as riot police shouted in their faces.
"Nothing justifies the degrading image of the young boys," wrote the Socialist leader, Eulvier Faure, on Twitter. "There is no need to pour more oil into the fire."
The students were arrested Thursday in the Paris suburb of Mant-la-Jolie as part of the unrest that swept dozens of schools during three weeks of anti-government protests.
A total of 146 people were arrested outside the San Ixopri secondary school in the town after protesters clashed with police and burned two cars.
Laurent San Martin, a senior member of the ruling Republican Party, said some 40 students were hooded and carrying equipment that could be used for vandalism and burning; but he also described the footage as "shocking." He told France Info radio: "People have a right to be angry at these scenes."
The demonstrations, which came out of about 280 schools to protest the tougher entry requirements for universities, intensified the uprising in France as the "yellow jackets" movement continues.
Dozens of people, wearing masks, threw Molotov cocktails and set fire to rubbish bins and clashed with police outside schools in several cities on Thursday.
Close Paris
"Yellow jackets" peaked in Paris at the end of last week, with the worst riots in decades.
The protests began on 17 November to protest the increase in fuel taxes; however, they turned into a major movement against President Emmanuel Macaron and the biggest challenge facing his mandate.
The protesters are angered by the rising cost of living caused by high taxes, and they accuse the former banker of applying policies favoring the rich.
Demonstrators, mostly from rural areas and small towns, say Macaron is isolated from ordinary citizens and is demanding his resignation.
Farmers also called for daily demonstrations next week, while two truck drivers' unions are planning an open strike in solidarity with protests from Sunday evening.
Four people were killed in "yellow jackets" incidents, while political leaders from all walks of life called for calm, but many "yellow jackets" activists called for new weekend demonstrations, saying the government's concessions so far were insufficient.
An Interior Ministry official told AFP the authorities were preparing for "major acts of violence" on Saturday, given the expectation that right-wing and hard-line demonstrators would gather in Paris.
The Eiffel Tower and many shops in the Champs-Elysées and major museums, such as the Louvre on Saturday, will be closed as a precautionary measure.
This is expected to cost thousands of euros in revenue as shoppers move away from Paris' most popular street for the second consecutive weekend ahead of Christmas, following scenes of burning cars last Saturday.
Six French league matches were also postponed, one for Paris Saint-Germain.
"On the brink of disobedience"
This week, the government stepped down from the plan to increase fuel taxes that were due in January and announced a series of other measures to help low-income families.
The deflation of fuel taxes, which is supposed to push France on the path to an environmentally friendly economy, is a major defeat for Macron, who said he would not care about other large-scale demonstrations.
Benjamin Coache, a senior leader of the Yellow Jackets movement, urged the French president to meet with a delegation of protesters to defuse the crisis, which he said pushed France to "the brink of disobedience and civil war."
"We ask him to meet us to negotiate the purchasing power that is the basis of all this anger," Kochi told AFP.
Macaron, who has not spoken publicly about the crisis since Saturday, is expected to deliver a speech about the protests early next week.
French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said the government was ready to consider "any measures that would allow us to strengthen purchasing power" for individuals. But Macron's office confirmed that it was committed to its decision not to impose a "wealth tax" on high-income earners, An effort to encourage investment.
Protesters oppose McCron's decision, which made a series of statements deemed unfair to ordinary workers, prompting many to call him "the head of the rich."
