Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets across France on Thursday to protest planned austerity measures, sending a clear message to President Emmanuel Macron and his newly appointed Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu. The demonstrations, organized by unions and grassroots groups, aimed to pressure the government to scrap looming budget cuts and increase spending on public services, Reuters reported.
Teachers, train drivers, pharmacists, and hospital staff staged strikes nationwide, while teenagers blocked dozens of high schools for hours, amplifying the day’s disruption. Union leaders called for higher taxes on the wealthy and the reversal of controversial pension reforms that require people to work longer to qualify for retirement.
“The anger is immense, and so is the determination. My message to Mr. Lecornu today is this: it’s the streets that must decide the budget,” said Sophie Binet, head of the CGT union. The CGT estimated that 1 million people participated in strikes and demonstrations, while official authorities put the figure at roughly half that number, Reuters noted.
Despite fears of widespread violence, most rallies remained peaceful, according to Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau. “I would like to emphasize that in almost all cases, marches and demonstrations took place under favorable conditions,” he said following the Paris rally, where police used teargas to disperse small groups of troublemakers. Brief clashes also occurred in Nantes and Lyon, resulting in three reported injuries.
Prime Minister Lecornu faces mounting pressure as he works to assemble France’s 2026 budget amid a deeply divided parliament. Macron and Lecornu must balance demands from protesters and left-wing parties against concerns from investors over the country’s rising deficit, which last year approached double the EU’s 3% limit.
Marylise Leon, head of France’s largest union CFDT, warned, “This is a warning, a clear warning to Sebastien Lecornu. We want a socially fair budget.” Lecornu has pledged to meet union representatives in the coming days and indicated a willingness to consider compromises, following the recent ouster of his predecessor, Francois Bayrou, over a 44-billion-euro budget squeeze, Reuters reported.
The protests caused widespread disruption. Nearly half of Parisian teachers walked off the job, regional train services were heavily affected, and demonstrators blocked traffic near Toulon. Police reported over 180 arrests, deploying around 80,000 officers, including riot units, drones, and armored vehicles, to maintain order.
As France heads into a critical budgetary season, Thursday’s protests underscored the tension between government austerity plans and public demands for greater social spending, highlighting the challenges Lecornu faces in navigating both political and economic pressures, according to Reuters.
