--- title: "Fuel Price Protests Planned Across France" url: https://newscentral.site/fuel-price-protests-planned-across-france/ language: en publisher: "News Central Site" section: "World" published: 2026-10-16T20:10:18.000Z updated: 2026-10-17T02:45:56.718Z id: 9c0cf5e8-306f-4fe4-8c1a-79ad1a15e31f source: "France 24 English https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20261016-finish-what-we-started-after-student-protests-france-braces-return-yellow-vests" attribution: "Link to https://newscentral.site/fuel-price-protests-planned-across-france/ and name News Central Site when you quote or summarize this story." --- # Fuel Price Protests Planned Across France A grassroots movement against rising fuel prices is gaining momentum ahead of nationwide demonstrations scheduled for October 17, drawing parallels to the 2018 Yellow Vest movement. France is bracing for another wave of protests as a grassroots movement against rising fuel prices gains momentum ahead of nationwide demonstrations scheduled for October 17. Protest organizers are drawing parallels between this latest action and the Yellow Vest movement that shook President Emmanuel Macron's first term in office back in 2018, when citizens took to the streets to protest cost-of-living issues. The protests, which have been planned across France, will feature roundabout blockades, gatherings at gas stations and oil depots. The actions are aimed at denouncing rising fuel prices and showing solidarity with high-school students who have been protesting for nearly a month over poor classroom conditions. A map published on the website 17octobregiletjaune.net has listed more than 1,000 planned events across the country, all of which aim to address the issue of fuel price increases. The initiative began with a viral TikTok video posted by a young man frustrated with rising petrol costs at the pump. Former Yellow Vest figures have announced their intention to join the protests in support of the high-school students and the wider cause of addressing fuel prices. Left-wing politicians, including Fabien Roussel of the Communist Party and Marine Tondelier from the Greens, have also backed the initiative. The planned demonstrations scheduled for Saturday are not directly linked to the original Yellow Vest movement that erupted in 2018 over rising fuel prices. This initial protest eventually grew into a broader rebellion against economic inequality, drawing tens of thousands onto the streets and earning its name from the fluorescent yellow high-visibility vests required by French law. Some former leaders of the Yellow Vests have expressed reservations about the latest protests, including Maxime 'Fly Rider' Nicolle who initially declined to participate but later changed his mind and announced he would travel to Paris to demonstrate. Jérôme Rodrigues, a prominent figure in the movement who lost an eye after being struck by a rubber-ball grenade during a protest in 2019, has also spoken out against the conflation of the new protests with the Yellow Vests brand. Rodrigues pointed out that no one from the original movement was involved in the October 17 protests, yet as soon as people discuss fuel prices and discontent, they are immediately labelled 'Yellow Vests', a label that has become synonymous with chaos and disorder. The legacy of the 2018-2019 Yellow Vest protests continues to be felt, with nearly two-dozen protesters losing an eye due to police rubber bullets and over 2,500 people injured in total, including both protesters and officers. The Yellow Vests movement is expected to make a comeback in France, with many protesters viewing Saturday's demonstrations as a continuation of the high-school student protests that took place earlier this week. François Boulo, a prominent figure in the Yellow Vests movement, explained that while there was no prior coordination among leaders to call for protests, they all shared a common reaction to the police violence against high school students. This sense of solidarity has been building momentum ahead of Saturday's demonstrations, with many seeing parallels between the experiences of students and protesters. Internal investigations have been launched by French authorities into 36 claims of officer violence against protesters, including four children who allegedly suffered severe injuries from explosive weapons and six others who sustained significant harm. Other complaints included physical abuse, verbal insults, and alleged sexual assault. These allegations are likely to fuel further outrage among the Yellow Vests. The protests reflect deep-seated concerns about the future of workers, families, and pensioners facing rising consumer and fuel prices, according to activist Rodrigues. He also highlighted the plight of high school students struggling with dilapidated schools, staff shortages, and overcrowded classrooms. The sense of shared struggle is a powerful unifying force behind the Yellow Vests movement. Activist Sophie Tissier sees direct parallels between the 2018 protests and Saturday's mobilization. She was one of the key figures in registering Yellow Vest demonstrations with the Paris police prefecture during the 2018 movement, which aimed to bring the protests into the mainstream but drew criticism from within the group. The registration of a demonstration on the Champs-Élysées for Saturday has been confirmed by Tissier, one of the key figures in bringing the 2018 Yellow Vest movement into the mainstream. She believes that the current protests are entirely legitimate and that the French people have had enough of the dismantling of public services. Tissier points to the significant drop in standard of living due to rising energy and fuel prices as a major contributing factor to the growing discontent among the population. Additionally, she notes a deep-seated disgust with a political class marred by scandals. According to her, these issues are symptoms of a broader problem - a dysfunctional political system. The root cause of this dysfunction is the lack of separation of powers in France's government, Tissier argues. This assertion echoes one of the key demands of the original Yellow Vest movement: for greater participatory democracy through the implementation of a citizens' initiative referendum, known as the RIC. The RIC would allow citizens to propose and vote on laws directly. In contrast to the spontaneous nature of the 2018 protests, some participants acknowledge that the current demonstrations are being guided more closely by political parties. Rodrigues notes that this has led to a more institutional framework for the protests compared to the original Yellow Vests movement. The CGT union has taken a cautious approach to joining the protests on October 17, stating that they will participate if certain conditions are met but maintaining their focus on November 5's nationwide strikes. Critics of the protest movement argue that there is still a lack of cohesion between different groups and the student-led demonstrations. Some have accused radical left-wing parties, including the Communist Party and France Unbowed, of attempting to co-opt the movement for their own purposes. As October 17 draws near, concerns are growing about whether the enthusiasm on social media will translate into significant turnout at protests across France. The country's autumn school holidays are set to begin soon, which could further impact participation levels. One prominent figure from the original Yellow Vests movement has expressed scepticism about the current state of affairs. Priscilla Ludosky, who helped spark the protests with her 2018 petition calling for lower fuel prices, notes that the movement was not as spontaneous as it seemed at the time. The French government is bracing itself for a potential resurgence of Yellow Vest protests this Saturday, with around 250 protest actions planned nationwide. Despite concerns about the movement's scale and momentum, some activists remain hopeful that the protests will gain traction and allow them to "finish what we started". --- Source: [France 24 English](https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20261016-finish-what-we-started-after-student-protests-france-braces-return-yellow-vests) Published by News Central Site: https://newscentral.site/fuel-price-protests-planned-across-france/