Over 600,000 Protesters Rally Across France Demanding Higher Wages and School Funding
France's Interior Ministry reports more than 600,000 people took to the streets nationwide, including a large march in Paris, pressing the government over wages, pensions and education funding amid growing economic worries.
More than 600,000 people rallied across France on Thursday, including a large demonstration in Paris, to demand higher wages and pension increases and to back a student protest movement, according to provisional figures from the country's Interior Ministry. The demonstrations add fresh pressure on an already embattled government after more than a month of recurring nationwide protests.
Major rallies took place in Paris, Lyon, Marseille and other cities, and most remained peaceful. The Paris march unfolded calmly through the afternoon and drew a huge crowd. Students carried placards warning that inequality threatens their future, while workers and retirees joined calls for better pay and pensions. A 21-year-old university student, Garance Blaise, said the country needs to give every child a proper future.
The disruption was widespread. About a third of France's high schools were closed or unable to operate normally, some because of student blockades and others because teachers were on strike. Public transport was disrupted in several areas, and the Eiffel Tower was closed to visitors.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said 70,000 police officers were deployed, backed by armored vehicles, drones and helicopters. The heavy security presence follows criticism of police tactics after injuries to protesters in earlier demonstrations. Many recent rallies have been marred by violence, which authorities attribute to masked far-left radicals and others intent on looting.
In Brittany, authorities said masked individuals tried to block roads in Rennes and that young people, sometimes accompanied by adults, committed serious acts of violence, including throwing steel balls at police. Officials also reported tensions and scuffles in Lyon, Nantes, Pau, Orléans, Rennes and Toulouse.
France's main unions warned that the country is on the brink of recession and that layoff plans are multiplying. In a joint statement, they said fuel, food, rent, gas and electricity are all rising while wages and pensions lag behind. France carries heavy debt and is among the weakest economic performers in Europe, alongside Italy and Belgium.
The scale of Thursday's turnout signals that public anger over living costs and education funding remains intense, keeping pressure on the government to respond to wage and pension demands even as it manages security concerns and a fragile economic outlook.
