The French government says it fears "major violence" in Paris and across the country on Saturday (8 Dec) as the national "yellow vest" protests enter their 4th week. 

Despite a full reversal on plans to implement new taxes on diesel and petrol as part of French President Macron's progressive green policies, the protests have become an outlet to express grievances over a variety of issues, including increasing general taxation and costs of living, as well as the growing influx of economic migrants from the Middle East and N. Africa. Students have also joined the protests over changes to university admission policies.

The protest movement has no identifiable centralized leadership and includes a range of participants from the anarchist far left (Antifa, Black Bloc, etc..) to the nationalist far right.

One of France's largest labor unions, Vigi, has filed a formal notice of an indefinite strike for its members working in the National Police and Ministry of the Interior beginning Saturday.

A statement posted to Vigi's Facebook page reads as follows:

"The demands made by the Yellow Vests movement relate to all of us. The time to organize legally and express solidarity with them for the benefit of all has come."

French trucking unions have also announced strikes which will begin this weekend, to include blocking major roadways and roundabouts.

French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe has announced deployment of 65,000 security personnel nationwide for this weekend and has left open the possibility of the use of French military units and armored vehicles to quell violence.

Elysee Palace, the official residence of the president, is boosting security after numerous "calls to kill" and "carry arms to attack" parliamentarians, government officials and police officers.

At least three people have died and hundreds have been injured since the protests began.

As a reminder, on two occasions in the last three weeks, AlertsUSA subscribers have been warned of new Islamic State propaganda posters in circulation on social media directly threatening attacks in France, as well as encouraging followers to carry out strikes on the yellow vest protests.