France: ministry counts 600,000 marchers as CGT claims 1.6 million
At least 600,000 people joined Thursday’s strikes and marches across France by the government’s estimate, while the CGT union put the figure at almost 1.6 million; riot police fired tear gas at the end of demonstrations in Bordeaux and Lyon, where a car was set alight and black-bloc protesters clashed with officers, but the day was largely peaceful. The night before, the National Assembly had voted unanimously against the government’s 2027 budget plans.
The CGT’s Sophie Binet said more than 250,000 had marched in almost 70 towns and cities by 13:00 and called it “just the start”; the interior minister, Laurent Nuñez, had deployed 70,000 police and promised “an extremely firm response”. The education ministry said 16% of teachers struck and 81 lycées were affected, against student unions’ claim of 1,000; about a third of higher-education sites were disrupted, and the Eiffel Tower and rooms of the Louvre closed. The CFDT’s demand is a net rise of €100 a month on a minimum wage of €12.31 an hour. The budget defeat is largely symbolic — the prime minister is expected to force it through under Article 49.3 — but it leaves Sébastien Lecornu seeking €54bn of savings with the deficit at 5.1% of GDP and debt approaching 120% of output. No arrest figures had been published by early evening. The yellow vests plan further action on Friday and Saturday, and the unions will meet to decide whether the strike continues.