فرنسا تحقق في إنذارات قنابل على طائرات.. و146 ألفاً يتظاهرون ضد غلاء المعيشة

As the French government faces escalating pressures due to cost of living protests and strikes that have entered their fourth week, the Paris public prosecutor's office has opened an investigation to uncover the identities of those who sent false reports about the presence of bombs on board civilian aircraft, and to verify whether they have connections to foreign powers, in a development that adds a security challenge to the troubled domestic scene.

The public prosecutor's office clarified today (Saturday), in response to an inquiry from the French press agency, that the investigation aims to identify the individuals who sent the emails and to reveal the nature of their potential connections, without naming any specific country or foreign entity.

The investigation came after a series of alerts targeting flights in French airspace in recent days, as the office of the French Prime Minister announced yesterday that four reports had been received regarding the presence of bombs on board aircraft, three of which landed safely at Orly Airport near Paris, and the fourth in the city of Bordeaux, while bomb disposal teams subjected them to security checks.

In a separate incident, a false report caused a flight belonging to "Aer Lingus" to be diverted to the French city of Evreux. These reports were not limited to France; they extended during the week to commercial flights in European countries and media institutions in Ireland, some of which required changing flight paths and escorting them with fighter jets, before evacuating and searching them after landing.

The French Interior Minister announced that approximately 146,000 people participated in the protests across the country, while unions estimated the number of demonstrators at around 250,000, including 75,000 in the capital, Paris.

In Paris, police recorded the participation of 46,000 demonstrators, compared to about 65,000 during last Thursday's protests, reflecting a decline of nearly 29% according to official figures. The Interior Ministry had recorded, in an initial tally by 2 PM on Saturday, the participation of about 7,000 demonstrators nationwide, compared to 15,000 at the same time last Saturday, while participation in the first wave that began on October 17 was around 67,000 at the same time.

Despite the decline in official numbers, movements continue, especially among student and union circles. Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the candidate of the "La France Insoumise" party, praised the student movement during an electoral rally in "Le Bourget," considering that the youth succeeded in pushing their parents and labor unions to join the protests.

The government is preparing to hold meetings with unions and student representatives early next week to discuss the proposed demands and attempt to contain the wave of anger, at a time when student and union organizations have called for a new day of strikes and demonstrations next Tuesday.

The government is anticipating the level of participation in the upcoming movements, viewing it as an indicator of the continued momentum of the protests and the ability of unions to expand the scope of mobilization, while security investigations continue to uncover the parties responsible for the false alerts and determine their backgrounds.