More than 1,300 protests planned across France this Saturday

Protests are planned across France on Saturday as ‘yellow vest’ activists attempt to reignite their movement, with 1,365 actions listed nationwide on the 17 octobre gilet jaune website.

These include 611 demonstrations, gatherings at 158 roundabouts, 320 service stations and 88 railway stations.

Other planned locations include 45 bridges, six ports, 95 motorway toll barriers, five refineries and 37 oil depots.

Figures from the original yellow vest movement are also urging people to unite on social media.

“Yellow vests, lycée students, workers, pensioners, our struggles can come together, and today we have a date to focus on: October 17, 2026,” Jérôme Rodrigues, one of the best-known figures from the original 2018 movement, said in a Facebook video.

The video had attracted more than 360,000 views.

Another prominent yellow vest figure, Eric Drouet, has called on farmers, refuse collectors, firefighters and railway workers to join the protests. Several unions have also expressed support.

Police warn of possible violence

“We sense that many people are ready to clash with the police,” Rudy Manna, a national delegate for the UNSA Police union, told franceinfo.

He also said that, on social media, “influencers are saying terrible things to attack and assault police officers”.

However, Maxime Nicolle, another figure from the original yellow vest movement, urged people on social media to “stand in front of the young people, between them and the police”, while remaining peaceful.

Mr Manna said officers would try to limit damage and prevent injuries. He added that the police had received no instructions to pursue a “numbers-driven policy” of arrests, despite nearly 7,000 people having been taken into police custody since the start of the lycée movement.

“If everything goes well, I assure you there will be no need for a firm response. If things go badly, there will probably be some firmness,” he said.

Will the protests match the scale of 2018?

The original yellow vest protests began in November 2018, partly in response to fuel tax increases, before expanding to cover purchasing power, taxation and wider political grievances. Demonstrations continued every Saturday for more than a year.

The current mobilisation shares some of those concerns. However, as with the original movement, there is no clearly identified leader and participants have a wide range of demands.

Whether these demands will be transformed into a sustained nationwide movement remains to be seen.

An interactive map with all planned gatherings can be seen here.