Protesters, on Thursday, staged a nationwide day of strikes and demonstrations in a show of anger over President Emmanuel Macron’s austerity policies, causing widespread disruption across France.
Public transport was stalled, schools were shut, and tens of thousands of people poured into the streets, with some rallies marked by sporadic clashes with police.
Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu, Macron’s seventh head of government, had vowed a “break from the past” after taking office last week in a bid to calm a deepening political crisis.
But, his appointment has failed to ease tensions, with unions and many citizens still incensed over austerity plans.
“Every day the richest get richer and the poor get poorer,” said 64-year-old protester Bruno Cavalier in Lyon, carrying a placard that read, “Smile, you are being taxed.”
At the heart of the anger is the draft €44 billion ($52 billion) cost-saving budget of Lecornu’s predecessor, Francois Bayrou.
Even with Lecornu’s pledges to scrap lifelong privileges for ex-prime ministers and abandon a deeply unpopular plan to cut two public holidays, protesters remained unconvinced.
Authorities deployed more than 80,000 police and gendarmes, backed by drones, armoured vehicles and water cannons.
By noon, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said 76,500 people had already taken to the streets, though he noted the protests were “less intense than expected.” Officials, however, anticipate between 600,000 and 900,000 participants nationwide.
Unions hailed the turnout, with CGT leader Sophie Binet announcing, “We have recorded 260 demonstrations across France. There are thousands and thousands of strikes in all workplaces.”
Around one in six teachers walked out, nine in ten pharmacies closed, and commuters in Paris faced severe Metro disruptions.
Police used tear gas to disperse unauthorised gatherings in Paris and Marseille. In Lyon, clashes left a journalist and a police officer injured. In Lille, protesters blocked bus depots, while hundreds of schoolchildren in Paris staged their own blockade with slogans like “Block your school against austerity.”
“The aim is to show the government that we’re here, that we’re fed up with being taxed like crazy, that we’re fed up with having trouble making ends meet,” said Samuel Gaillard, a 58-year-old garbage truck driver.
Hard-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon declared in Marseille that Macron himself was “the source of chaos,” pointing to the president’s declining popularity with just 18 months left in office.
Thursday’s mobilisation is being seen as the biggest test of Lecornu’s short tenure so far, and the most serious wave of union-led action since the massive protests last year against Macron’s pension reforms.
