French unions call for more protests as Macron faces political crisis

French protest groups and unions called Sunday for further demonstrations after a massive security operation contained Saturday's nationwide rallies, with 410,000 participants and 70,000 police deployed, avoiding the looting seen on October 17. Labour leaders urged protests next Saturday and a nationwide strike on November 5, citing growing anger over wages, living costs, and public services that has spread beyond the student movement. The Yellow Vests also called for mass rallies, while police unions warned they lack staff to sustain the high deployment level. President Macron faces strained public finances, an expiring mandate next April, and no parliamentary majority, limiting his response options. Government talks with unions have yielded no adequate proposals, and protests have echoed in Belgium, Albania, and Italy.