Yellow Vests banned in Bourges center, heart of France

French authorities have banned Yellow Vest protests expected to take place on Saturday at the historic city center of Bourges, a town in the heart of France.

Protests outside of the city center will be allowed, Governorship of the Cher region said in a statement on Friday.

Earlier this week, Priscillia Ludosky and Maxime Nicolle, two prominent figures of the Yellow Vest movement, called for protests in Bourges.

The protestors will take the streets for the ninth weekend across France. Around 80,000 police officers are to be deployed during the protests.

On Tuesday, France's Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announced a planned law to punish those who attend unauthorized protests and troublemakers.

Yellow Vest protests

The Yellow Vest protests, which started as a reaction to fuel tax hikes and evolved into a protest against French President Emmanuel Macron, have continued despite the government's call for them to halt.

Since Nov. 17, thousands of protesters wearing bright yellow vests -- dubbed the Yellow Vests -- have gathered in major French cities, including the capital Paris, to protest Macron's controversial fuel tax hikes and the deteriorating economic situation.

Demonstrators held protests blocking roads and traffic, and also blocked the entrance and exits to many gas stations and factories across the country.

The protesters, who generally live in rural areas due to high rents in the cities, have called on Macron to cut fuel taxes and ease their economic difficulties.

Under pressure from the protests, Macron announced a rise in the minimum wage and also scuttled controversial fuel tax hikes.

At least 10 people died, over 5,500 others were detained, and more than a thousand others were wounded in the protests.