On Thursday, hundreds of thousands of French workers took to the streets in a nationwide strike and march demanding “a dignified wage,” tax reforms and better learning conditions, marking a new escalation of protests that began weeks earlier. The demonstrations come as France, the eurozone’s second‑largest economy, heads toward a presidential election slated for six months from now, with opinion polls showing the far‑right ahead of centrist President Emmanuel Macron.
Authorities estimated that between 500,000 and 700,000 people would protest across the country, with as many as 80,000 expected to gather in Paris from 2:00 p.m. (1300 GMT). Unions hope the turnout will match the mass rallies against pension reform in 2023, which drew over a million participants.
Sylvie Larneury, a 61‑year‑old healthcare manager, and her partner, an IT specialist of the same age, joined the march in Clermont‑Ferrand. “We’re fed up. We’re not starving, but we have to help our children even though they’ve studied,” she said. “We’ve had enough of social injustice,” she added, condemning what she called “a repressive government that defends its own interests and not those of the majority.”
In Lyon, winegrower Martin Thiberge voiced a broader sentiment: “We want to make a living from our work, to make a dignified wage.” The protests also saw a surge of high‑school activism; the government reported blockades at 81 of the nation’s 3,700 secondary schools, while a student association said classes were suspended at roughly 1,000 schools. Around 16 percent of teachers were on strike, and police used tear‑gas to disperse students attempting to block access to the Hélène‑Boucher high school in Paris. Unions representing rail workers, public hospitals and postal services joined the strike action, causing some disruption to train services.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez announced the deployment of 70,000 police officers and security forces, pledging “an extremely firm response” to any acts of violence. While most demonstrations remained peaceful, isolated clashes erupted, prompting the use of tear‑gas and water‑cannon. An investigation into an alleged attempted murder was opened after petrol bombs were thrown at security forces in Paris on Saturday, and internal police probes have been launched over accusations of brutality. Several teenage protesters were reported seriously wounded and thousands were arrested. Similar protests have also unfolded in Denmark, Germany and Italy in recent weeks.
<small>Source: Vanguard News — read the original story there.</small>
