Hundreds of thousands of workers joined nationwide strikes and marches across France on Thursday as five unions pressed for higher wages and relief from rising living costs, the BBC and Associated Press reported.
CGT leader Sophie Binet said more than 250,000 people were in the streets in nearly 70 towns and cities by early afternoon and called the mobilization a “new level.” Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said 70,000 police were deployed.
Schools, hospitals and public transport were disrupted. The Eiffel Tower and some Louvre galleries closed. Unions said oil refineries and nuclear plants were also affected, and France was expected to import more electricity than it produced.
Unions are seeking a higher minimum wage — currently €12.31 an hour — and CFDT leader Marylise Léon called for a net increase of €100 a month. The protests grew out of September student actions over school conditions and have drawn yellow-vest demonstrators.
Some unrest was reported in Lyon, where a car was set alight in incidents blamed on radical “black bloc” groups. Thursday’s Paris march was routed from Place de la République to Place de la Nation after authorities rejected a path nearer government buildings.
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The government has released diesel from strategic reserves to ease fuel prices and promised to overhaul the Parcoursup university admissions system by 2028. Education officials said about 16% of teachers struck Thursday; unions said more than one in four lycées and most universities were disrupted.
Sources: BBC News, Associated Press
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