French President Emmanuel Macron pledged on Wednesday to prevent a repeat of last weekend's riots and looting, as the Yellow Vest movement filed plans for a major Paris march on Saturday that will present his government with its next big test, Reuters reported.

Source: Reuters

Al Jazeera, reporting Macron's remarks in Doha, where he met Qatar's emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, said the president stated that people who plan to 'cause chaos' during protests against the high cost of living will not be allowed to do so, and that he would meet French intelligence services before Saturday's protests.

Source: Al Jazeera

'Those who want to cause disorder in city centres next Saturday will be prevented from doing so,' Macron told reporters during a visit to Qatar, where he has been seeking energy deals as France grapples with rising fuel costs, Reuters said. 'There must be no wavering at the top of the state.' He said he would meet intelligence officials, Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu and other ministers on Thursday for a detailed account of the October 17 unrest.

Yellow Vests, students and unions mobilise

A representative of the 'Gilets Jaunes' (Yellow Vests) — a grassroots group not tied to the unions — presented plans for a march across the heart of Paris, including areas ransacked just days ago, Reuters reported. Student groups have also called protests for the same day to demand greater investment in education. The Yellow Vest activists are seeking to revive their campaign, which emerged in 2018, against rising living costs and declining public services.

Lecornu met union leaders on Wednesday in an effort to defuse one of the worst crises France has faced in recent years. 'There is huge and legitimate anger, and the answer to that situation is not repression. It is a political response,' Sophie Binet, head of the CGT union, told RTL radio ahead of the meeting, Reuters reported. After the meeting, Binet said the government made no new announcements, but youth organisations would be invited for talks. France's main unions have separately called a nationwide mobilisation for November 5.

Government ministers have promised a vastly reinforced security operation after acknowledging shortcomings in the initial response, with troops expected to be deployed alongside additional police, Reuters said. A second consecutive night of local curfews passed without major incidents. Macron also accused some foreign leaders of spreading misinformation about the unrest; asked whether he meant US President Donald Trump, who has blamed the turbulence on mass migration, Macron said: 'Among others.'