Critics of French President Emmanuel Macron and his politics plan to hold demonstrations on Saturday in Paris, including a protest picnic and a march through the city centre, ahead of the first anniversary of Macron’s election.
Several thousand people have already indicated on the protest action’s Facebook page that they intend to attend the demos, which are scheduled to get under way at noon (1000 GMT).
Following riots by a hard-left group on the sidelines of the traditional May Day marches by trades unions in Paris earlier in the week, police have said they have beefed up security, with 2,000 officers to be deployed on Saturday.
Macron’s critics say his economic and social reforms favour corporations and the wealthier in society. The organizers have ironically named their demonstration “Celebration of Macron and his World.”
The government has criticized the demonstration against the backdrop of the May Day riots, but leftist politician Jean-Luc Melenchon countered that Macron “can’t stand any opposition.”
It was a member of Melenchon’s La France Insoumise (France Unbowed) party that initiated Saturday’s demonstrations.
Monday marks a year since Macron was elected president.
dpa