France: Workers and students unite in nationwide protests over living costs

Last updated: 1 hour ago France was gripped by a nationwide day of strikes and demonstrations on Thursday 5 November, as trade unions mobilised workers, students and other protesters to demand higher wages, tax justice and better public services. In Lyon, more than 25,000 people were reported to have joined the march, according to organisers, despite restrictions on demonstrations across much of the city centre. The procession followed a court-approved route towards Place Jean-Macé, but tensions flared early as police reported clashes with around 500 demonstrators who threw projectiles and set pallets alight. Officers responded with tear gas, forcing the march back after just 600 metres. Six arrests were reported, while all four metro lines and both funiculars were shut down and other public transport services severely disrupted. In Paris, unions agreed to march from République to Nation after a court upheld the police prefecture's decision to reject their preferred route from Bastille to Concorde. The demonstration was due to begin at 14:00, with authorities expecting between 40,000 and 80,000 participants. Security measures and transport disruptions saw 25 metro stations closed, bus and tram services diverted and around 80 schools shut across the capital. Police intervened outside Lycée Hélène Boucher in eastern Paris after students blocked the school entrance with wheelie bins. Officers ordered them to disperse and removed the makeshift barricades, while pupils continued chanting. A brief scuffle followed, with police seen taking one student aside and searching several others nearby. Called by major French unions, including the CGT, CFDT and FO, the nationwide mobilisation saw around 250 rallies planned and more than 1,100 strike notices filed. Some 70,000 police officers and gendarmes were deployed as hundreds of thousands of protesters were expected to demand higher wages, an increase in the minimum wage and protection of the right to protest.