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Hundreds of Thousands Protest in France Over Cost of Living
· Confirmed
In Short: In Paris, the atmosphere at Place de la République was largely festive despite a heavy security presence, after earlier protests on October 17 were marred by rioting and looting.
Tens of thousands of trade union members and students joined nationwide strikes and demonstrations across France on Saturday, demanding higher wages and better public services amid rising living costs. The protests, organized by five major unions, saw participants gather in Paris, Lyon, Marseille, and other cities, with about 260 protests planned nationwide.
In Paris, the atmosphere at Place de la République was largely festive despite a heavy security presence, after earlier protests on October 17 were marred by rioting and looting. The main protest in Paris began at 2 p.m. Local time (1300 GMT), with hundreds of musicians playing brass, string, and percussion instruments, accompanied by choirs, turning the square into a noisy, colorful focal point of dissent.
Students staged new actions, with about a third of France’s high schools closed or unable to operate due to student blockades or teachers walking off the job. One protester in France's third-largest city, Lyon, said, 'There were around 150 of us, mostly secondary school and university students. Then the tear gas came almost immediately. You could barely see anything in the street.'
Some 70,000 police officers were deployed and restrictions imposed in several cities to prevent the latest protests from descending into chaos. The interior ministry said an estimated 410,000 people protested on Saturday, while the unions put the number at about 800,000. More than 1,300 arrests were made as hundreds of thousands of people took part in another day of protests across France on Saturday that were followed by some clashes later in the day.
In Lyon, protesters threw projectiles at police, prompting officers to fire tear gas, according to a journalist at the scene. Clashes, looting, and arson were reported in several French cities as similar protests spread across Europe. The main protest in Paris began at 2 p.m. Local time (1300 GMT), with one of the biggest student protests in October turning violent, with rioters having vandalized stores.
The five unions that organized the protests represent public and private sectors, and are calling on the government to address deteriorating public services and high prices of goods. Authorities in the western region of Brittany said 'masked individuals' had tried to block roads in the city of Rennes. Police in the northeastern city of Strasbourg urged residents to exercise 'extreme caution' near certain schools amid tensions.
Flames went up from the roof of the town hall of Limoges in central France, and some 70,000 police were on the streets of cities including Marseille, Grenoble, and Lyon as the country's big-five unions called for a nationwide walkout expected to include hospital staff, air traffic controllers, postal workers, public and private school teachers, and rail workers.
The protests were largely peaceful, though there were reports about riot police having clashed with protesters in Lyon. Up to 500 schools across France will be partially or totally closed on Monday after clashes between riot police and student protesters in recent days, the French education minister said on Sunday.
What this adds
The protests in France are part of a broader trend of demonstrations across Europe over rising living costs and deteriorating public services. In Germany, organizers said approximately 120,000 people participated in demonstrations, describing the movement as an effort by young people to challenge decisions they believe are being made without their involvement.
Background
Democrats have shifted their focus from social issues such as LGBTQ+ rights and fighting racial and gender inequality to the cost of living, according to Le Monde.
High early voting and a focus on cost-of-living issues dominate as midterms approach, with Democrats leading in polls but facing potential limitations.
What's confirmed
- Students staged new actions, with about a third of France’s high schools closed or unable to operate due to student blockades or teachers walking off the job.
What's still developing
- “We are young people who no longer want to watch decisions being made about our future without us,” the movement said on its website, emphasizing that its protests were intended to remain peaceful.
- A “co-ordinated” protest that appears to be “illegal migration-related” has seen hundreds of black-clad, masked demonstrators block roads in Dover, a local councillor said.