For weeks, hundreds of thousands of people, mostly young, have engaged in protests that have only increased in size and scope. What started off as a demonstration over the poor state of high schools has expanded to a general frustration, even anger, over how challenging and expensive life has become.

In the backdrop is a daunting fiscal deficit, one of the biggest in Europe, and political candidates from across the spectrum claiming to have the answers ahead of presidential elections in six months' time.

In the middle is a centrist government, which is short on solutions, a majority in the National Assembly and time. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu visited Limoges on Friday evening.

Officials have banned demonstrations in various cities and promised to boost police numbers over the weekend to avoid a repeat of the rioting.…