The French government expressed its fear of an outbreak of "massive violence" in the capital, Paris, next Saturday, while the "yellow vest" protest movement showed little calm.
The police urged the owners of shops and restaurants in the Champs-Elysées to close their businesses on Saturday during the upcoming protests, according to notices they received and which AFP news agency had seen.
The government announced the abolition of tax increases on fuel, which was the spark that ignited the protests.
But the country has seen widespread discontent with the government, and several protests have already erupted for other reasons.
Today, the police arrested more than 140 people during a demonstration protesting proposed reforms in the field of education. The demonstration, in the Yvelines region, turned into clashes, according to reports.
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Meanwhile, Saturday's demonstration by "yellow vest" activists appears to be going ahead as planned.
The recent protests have turned violent and caused huge losses amounting to millions of euros.
What did the prime minister say?
French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe told the Senate that the authorities will use "extraordinary methods" on Saturday and that 65,000 police officers will be on duty across France.
Assuring the repeal of the fuel tax, he told council members that the calmness of the majority of demonstrators across France contrasted with the "extremist violence" in Paris.
And he went on to say, "Unlike others, I do not seek to assign blame (in responsibility) for this anger." He noted that, by virtue of his position as mayor of the northern French port city of Le Havre, he felt the anger there grow year after year, following each election. "It (anger) was silent for a long time, because it was silenced for a long time, because of shame, and sometimes because of arrogance," he added.
According to French media, Philippe will take a decision on Saturday regarding the deployment of military vehicles to clear the streets in Paris if barriers are erected. This has not happened since 1968.
The December 1 protests led to what was described as the worst rioting in decades, with injuries and arrests.
Many of the protesters are law-abiding citizens who have taken part in protests that have gained wide popular support and are widely described as a legitimate democratic movement.
However, the interior minister said earlier this week that the lack of a centralized structure or formal leadership of the movement makes extremists and "troublemakers" more likely to join marches and incite violence.
Sources from the French presidency expressed the government's concern over the continuation of the violence on Wednesday evening.
The French Minister of Health, Agnes Buzan, told French radio "RTL" this morning, "There is concern about these acts of violence, and about some who do not want to find a solution."
The government is considering mobilizing army forces to protect important national monuments, according to French TV channel BFM, after the famous Arc de Triomphe monument was vandalized last week.
The "yellow vest" protests have gone beyond initial outrage over fuel taxes. Last week, the movement, despite the lack of a central leadership, issued more than 40 requests to the government.
These requests included a minimum pension, a wide-ranging change to the tax system and a lowering of the retirement age.
The government has already acknowledged some concerns, in a sign that it may review the "wealth tax" that was abolished after it took office.
An analysis of the original budget for the period 2018-2019 showed that the rich benefited more than the poor.
Other groups, buoyed by the success of the national (protest) movement, have begun to take separate action.
The "Fiji" police union called for a strike by the administrative staff working in the Ministry of the Interior next Saturday, saying that without the support of this administrative team, the efforts of the riot police would be disrupted, and called for solidarity with the "yellow vest" protests.
The General Confederation of Labor union has also called for a strike of its 700,000 members next Sunday, according to a report published by the French newspaper Le Monde. Drivers have been affected by changes in overtime pay, which has affected members' purchasing power, according to unions.
Today, students took to the streets to protest against proposed education reforms.
The government of President Emmanuel Macron hopes to change the pre-university exam, known as the "baccalaureate", which is required for a student to enter a university.
This system was started by Napoleon Bonaparte more than 200 years ago, and any successful student was entitled to attend his local university.
The Macron plan allows universities to choose students with the aim of achieving the most educational benefit, but opponents of the plan fear that it will limit opportunities and create an atmosphere of inequality.
In the French city of Nantes, young demonstrators overturned cars and rubbish bins and set fires, while the police arrested 146 people in the city of Mantes-la-Jolie in the Yvelines department after clashes with the police in front of a school.
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Similar demonstrations also took place on Wednesday in the cities of Bordeaux and Toulouse, which led to the arrest of demonstrators, but most of the demonstrations were peaceful.
Demonstrators surrounded hundreds of schools this week, but the participants were not wearing the yellow vests characteristic of the broader protest movement.
The French newspaper Le Monde differentiates between the two groups, suggesting that the longstanding discontent over the proposed education reforms was fueled by the success of the "yellow vests".
The National Union of French High School Students called for a "massive rally" to schools on Friday.
Older students at the famous Sorbonne University are also facing turmoil amid anger over government plans to charge extra tuition fees for non-EU students.
The controversy led to a ban on some university websites on Wednesday.
The France 3 TV channel reported that the historic university campus known as "Sorbonne 1" was closed on Thursday for security reasons after some students tried to enter the building.
The part of the university known as the "Sorbonne Nouvelle", the new Sorbonne or "Paris III" campus, was also closed.
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