Protestors for 54th week of Yellow vest protests, gathered at Estienne-d’Orves Square and marched towards Felix Eboue square.

In addition to Paris, protests were held in various other cities of the country.

Police banned protests in Champs-Elysees, around Notre-Dame Cathedral that was significantly damaged following a fire in April, National Assembly and Elysee Palace.

Protests started Nov. 17, 2018, in reaction to rising fuel costs and economic injustice, but later spiraled into deadly anti-government riots.

Protesters decided to use yellow vests, part of the standard safety kit in French cars, to make their members more easily visible.

Demonstrations left 11 people dead and more than 4,000 injured since the start of protests, including protesters and the police, according to the French government.

Activists claim 24 protesters lost an eye and five lost a hand.

At least 8,400 people have been arrested since the beginning of Yellow Vest protests, and 2,000 remanded into custody.

A total of 17 protestors were arrested in Toulouse and five people, including two police and three civilians, were injured.

France has lost 2.5 billion euros ($2.75 billion) over the yellow vest protests, which started exactly a year ago, citing the government, French RTL radio station reported on Friday.

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The yellow vest movement erupted 10 months ago and blindsided President Emmanuel Macron, who protesters accused of being out of touch with the needs of ordinary French people.

Their weekly demonstrations prompted Macron to loosen the state’s purse strings to the tune of nearly 17 billion euros (RM78.1 billion) in wage boosts and tax cuts for low earners, but tapered off over the summer.

Fresh yellow vest rallies are planned for Saturday but it remains to be seen whether the movement will regain the momentum of the winter and early spring, when the protests often descended into violent clashes with security forces, especially in Paris.

Macron on Friday called for “calm”, saying that while “it’s good that people express themselves”, they should not disrupt a climate protest and cultural events also due to go ahead on Saturday.

Paris police Chief Didier Lallement has said 7,500 police would be deployed for Saturday’s rallies in Paris – numbers on a par with the peak of the yellow vest protests in December and March, AFP reported.

Key yellow-vest figure Jerome Rodrigues has billed Saturday’s protest as “a revelatory demonstration”, claiming “many people are going to come to Paris”.

But officials have again outlawed protests on the Champs-Elysees and other areas in the heart of the capital, where previously protesters had ransacked and set fire to luxury shops and restaurants.

Some demonstrators in January even used a forklift to break down the doors of a government ministry.

The police have also been criticized for being heavy-handed in clashes with hardcore anti-capitalist “black bloc” groups blamed for much of the violence that has accompanied the demonstrations.

Saturday coincides with the annual European Heritage Days weekend, when public and private buildings normally off-limits to the public are open to visitors.

After attracting 282,000 people nationwide on the first day of protests last November, yellow-vest protest participation had fallen sharply by the spring, and only sporadic protests were seen over the summer.

Macron said in an interview with Time magazine published Thursday that the movement had been “very good for me” as it had made him listen and communicate better.

“My challenge is to listen to people much better than I did at the very beginning,“ the president said.

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Michel Delpuech told RTL radio that security services intend to deploy the same numbers and strength as last weekend, with about 8,000 officers and 14 armored vehicles again in Paris.

Delpuech said the biggest difference will be the deployment of more groups of patrol officers to catch vandals, who last weekend roamed streets around the Champs Elysees, causing damage and looting. Police arrested more than 1,000 people in Paris last weekend and 135 people were injured, including 17 police officers, AP reported.

A sixth “yellow vest” protester was killed this week, hit by a truck at a protest roadblock. Despite calls from authorities urging protesters — who wear the fluorescent safety vests that France requires drivers to keep in their cars — to stop the protests, the movement rocking the country has showed no signs of abating.

“Last week, we pretty much handled the yellow vests but we also witnessed scenes of breakage and looting by criminals,” Delpuech said. “Our goal will be to better control this aspect.”

In an effort to defuse the tensions sweeping the country, French President Emmanuel Macron has acknowledged he’s partially responsible for the anger behind the anti-government protests. He has announced a series of measures aimed at improving French workers’ spending power but has refused to reinstate a wealth tax.

Many protesters have expressed disappointment at the measures and some trade unions are now calling for rolling strikes across the country.

“The best action is to go on strike,” said Philippe Martinez, the head of leftist trade union CGT. “There are inequalities in this country and we need to make big company bosses pay.”

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Speaking to Sputnik, Alexandre Langlois noted that the police were not going to join “yellow vest” protesters, however, intended to support them.

“We will go to the rally with our banners to show that we support the demand to increase the purchasing power. Any police officer not on duty has the right to join them during the demonstration,” Langlois said.

According to Langlois, French police officers are often mistreated, and they have to work “without rest.” Therefore, he urged the law enforcement not to make “fatal mistake” and refrain from participating in rallies if they feel emotionally exhausted.

Langlois also added that the French security services were powerless in confronting “yellow vest” protesters, as former French President Nicolas Sarkozy had significantly undermined their capabilities by focusing on counterterrorism activities.

According to the secretary general, the French authorities should meet some of the demands of “yellow vest” protesters in order to stabilize the situation.

The so-called “yellow vest” protests, named after the reflective vests all French drivers are required to keep in their cars, have been ongoing in France since November 17. Diesel prices in France have risen by around 23 percent since the beginning of the year, while the gasoline prices have gone up by 15 percent. On Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that he was abandoning a proposed fuel tax hike following violent protests.

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