Macron faces new protests as students and Yellow Vests return to streets

French President Emmanuel Macron has vowed to maintain order as students, "Yellow Vest" activists, and labor unions announced new protests and strikes. A major student union called for a demonstration on Saturday, October 24, while unions are pushing for a general strike on November 5. Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu met with union leaders to seek cooperation but failed to find a breakthrough, with unions saying their demands for wage increases and public sector investment were ignored. The protests follow an October 17 rally of over 500,000 people that turned violent, with arson and looting of 3,000 shops, prompting the government to deploy military forces and impose partial nighttime curfews. The unrest comes six months before the presidential election, yet an IFOP poll taken after the protests showed Marine Le Pen leading the first round with 34-38 percent support, with Jean-Luc Mélenchon in second, largely unchanged from before the demonstrations.