Unions, teachers and students joined nationwide strikes and protests across France on Thursday. About 70,000 police were deployed.
Hundreds of thousands of protesters were expected to march through French cities on Thursday, Nov. 5, as public workers went on strike in a fresh test for President Emmanuel Macron, Reuters reported. The action follows weeks of unrest that has dominated French politics five months before a presidential election.
The mobilization was called by unions including the left-wing CGT and backed by student groups, after demonstrations over living costs, public services and education triggered what Reuters called the worst civil unrest in years. “We need to turn up in big numbers on the streets today,” CGT head Sophie Binet told LCI TV.
French authorities said they would deploy around 70,000 police nationwide, and the domestic intelligence service expected 500,000 to 700,000 demonstrators outside Paris, Reuters said. The education ministry expected 17.5% of public primary school teachers to strike, and unions warned of likely disruption to rail and public transport. The strike had contributed to a 2.4-gigawatt reduction in France’s nuclear output early Thursday, and state utility EDF said power unions were expected to join. Hundreds of high schools were closed or unable to operate, some because of protests and others because teachers joined the strike, ETV Bharat reported.
The government is trying to avoid a repeat of riots and looting on Oct. 17, which caught security forces off guard and fueled criticism of Macron’s handling of the crisis, Reuters reported. Macron held a defense and security meeting Wednesday. An official close to him said the aim in coming weeks is to calm the situation and start the presidential campaign in the quietest possible conditions, pointing to fewer blockaded high schools this week.
Pupils were expected to join the marches, citing school conditions and uncertainty over their future. A 19-year-old Paris student told Reuters many classmates fear police violence. The government has defended police tactics and said any abuses would be investigated, Reuters reported.
Sources: Reuters and ETV Bharat.