FRANCE YELLOW VESTS WEEK 56:  IN THE MIDST OF THE STRIKE TENS OF THOUSANDS PROTEST

LIVE VIDEO YELLOW VESTS PARIS WEEK 56-RT

The Yellow Vests today are on the streets in the midst of a nationwide strike that began Thursday against the pension reform plan of President Emmanuel Macron.

The government estimates that some 806-thousand took to the streets Thursday while organizers believe 1.5 million participated.

On Friday the Premier Edouard Philippe said the government would roll out details of the plan next Wednesday prompting a call for another mass demonstration this coming Tuesday.

On Saturday afternoon the Prefecture of Police in Paris proclaimed a protest ban for Tuesday on the Champs-Elysees, at the Elysee Palace of the President, the Matignon Hotel of the Premier, the National Assembly and Notre-Dame Cathedral.

While the Yellow Vests procession is underway in Paris out on the highways attempts to impede traffic by the strikers slowing down traffic to a snails pace on some highways in France today.

Truck drivers in the vanguard of road blockages today protesting higher diesel fuel prices.


Video and still pictures at this link......TRUCK DRIVER ROAD BLOCKS FRANCE 12/7/2019



Protesters in Nantes today estimated to be 2800 by the government with hundreds of black blocs anarchists among them.


Video from Nantes today......



YELLOW VESTS WEEK 56 NANTES



In Marseille the protest crowd estimated by the authorities at 1800 with strikers and Yellow Vests mixed together........


YELLOW VESTS WEEK 56 MARSEILLE



This was the scene in northwestern France today with demonstrators on the streets of Rouen......


YELLOW VESTS WEEK 56 ROUEN



Getting back to Paris here is a video of the protest in Paris from the AFP news agency........



YELLOW VESTS WEEK 56 PARIS AFP NEWS VIDEO



Left-wing French political leader Jean-Luc Melenchon calling for a code of non-violence in the protests over Macron's "pension reform" today.

By late Saturday the government's official estimate of protesters in the street nationwide was 23,500.     

Breaking down numbers in some of the other cities again according to the government....

In Caen some 1,200 protesters reported.

In Bordeaux some 1,100 by official estimate.

800 reported in Lille........FRANCE YELLOW VESTS WEEK 56 VIDEO

800 in Le Havre.

700 in Lyon.......YELLOW VESTS WEEK 56 LYON





HERE IS A FOUR HOUR VIDEO OF THE GOINGS ON IN TOULOUSE TODAY WITH JUDITH MUIJSERS PROVIDING AN ENGLISH LANGUAGE COMMENTARY WITH A WARNING OF ROUGH LANGUAGE AND THIS VIDEO INCLUDES THE CONFRONTATIONS WITH POLICE AND HER OBSERVATIONS AND ANALYSIS OF POLICE TACTICS TO BREAK UP THE PROTEST PLUS OTHER COMMENTARY THAT ONE COULD CALL 'THE ANATOMY OF A PROTEST'......



TOULOUSE WEEK 56 YELLOW VESTS PROTEST

While the government has its estimate the "Yellow Number" Facebook has its count and 63,226 is the count for Week 56 of the Yellow Vests.

One other late news development in France is word that cabinet ministers and President Macron meet Sunday night at 7:30 to discuss pension reform.

Plus also word from the CGT trade union president Philippe Martinez that the national strike continues until the government backs down on pension reform.

Whether the mass of protesters choose to wear Yellow Vests or not the reality of the situation now is that the Macron government is again facing mass demonstrations in the streets and will be formulating its response for maximum success and achieving its goal of cutting pension benefits to make France more economically competitive with other nations.