Hundreds of thousands march in cities across France in latest round of protests

Hundreds of thousands of people have marched in cities across France in the latest round of street demonstrations, as trade unions put pressure on the government with a general strike over the cost of living and cuts to public services.

Striking teachers, hospital staff and rail workers joined high school and university students in largely peaceful demonstrations in Paris and other cities on Thursday amid a high police presence of 70,000 officers.

The government estimated that at least 600,000 people had taken part, while the left-wing CGT trade union put the figure at almost 1.6 million.

Riot police fired tear gas at the end of demonstrations in Bordeaux and Lyon. In Paris, police prevented schoolchildren from setting up barricades with wheelie bins outside high schools across the city in the early morning.

In the east of the city, police used tear gas to prevent students from accessing the Hélène Boucher high school.

President Emmanuel Macron’s final months in office continue to be marred by domestic crises, as high school students protesting over poor conditions have been joined by workers in weekly protests.

Meanwhile, the government is struggling to pass a belt-tightening budget in a divided parliament as public debt approaches 120 per cent of economic output.

France’s four main rail unions said the government’s proposed budget cuts would “worsen poverty, slash social security, freeze state workers’ salaries and dry up investment needed for environmental measures”.

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Amid the renewed protests centred on living costs, public spending cuts and the troubled education system, the far-right, anti-immigration presidential candidate Marine Le Pen is polling high for the 2027 election to replace Macron next spring.

High school students, who have been protesting for weeks, continued to blockade schools over overcrowded classes and dilapidated buildings, saying the government’s proposed measures on capping some class sizes and loaning funds to regional authorities to fix schools were not enough. The government said 81 high schools were affected on Thursday, while students’ unions put the number at 1,000.

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University students joined in blockading faculties, with a third of higher education sites affected, the government said. Trade unions from across the political landscape joined strikes, with private schoolteacher unions taking part alongside state schoolteachers.

Rights groups protested over what they said was heavy-handed policing and an attempt by Macron’s executive to clamp down on the right to demonstrate.

The Ligue des droits de l’Homme (French human rights league) said this week there had been an “authoritarian shift” to stifle “any dissenting voice”, as authorities issued restrictions on demonstrating in city centres as well as curfews in certain areas.

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Sophie Binet, the head of the CGT union, said: “We’re living at a very serious time, with a very dangerous authoritarian drift from the government.” She criticised decisions by authorities in some cities to push demonstrations out of city centres.

As the protests were under way, prime minister Sébastien Lecornu announced a meeting to be held next Monday with trade unions and business leaders to discuss salaries and the cost of living. – Guardian