Teachers, train drivers, pharmacists, hospital staff, and students staged nationwide strikes and school blockades in France on Thursday, protesting planned budget cuts and pension reforms. Unions are demanding the previous government’s fiscal plans be scrapped, increased spending on public services, higher taxes on the wealthy, and abandonment of the controversial pension age hike.
An estimated 800,000 people are expected to participate in the protests, which have disrupted metro services, regional trains, and school operations. Farmers and pharmacists also joined the mobilization, with many pharmacies closing for the day, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
The unrest comes as President Emmanuel Macron and new Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu face mounting pressure to stabilize public finances while navigating political resistance in parliament. Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau confirmed that 80,000 police and gendarmes have been deployed nationwide to maintain order, using drones, riot units, and armored vehicles where necessary.
Union leaders, including CGT chief Sophie Binet, have vowed to continue protests until the government provides a satisfactory response, emphasizing that the budget debate will unfold “in the streets” if necessary.
