Hundreds of thousands of protesters marched across France on Thursday as striking workers, students, and unions mounted a nationwide challenge to President Emmanuel Macron's government over planned austerity measures. The disruption marked the first major political test for newly appointed Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, who faces the task of steering a budget through a deeply divided parliament.
Teachers, train drivers, health workers, and pharmacists joined the walkouts, while teenagers blocked dozens of high schools in cities including Paris, Lyon, and Marseille. "The anger is huge, and so is the determination. My message to Mr. Lecornu today is this: it's the streets that must decide the budget," Sophie Binet, head of the CGT union, told reporters. Binet said 400,000 people joined morning rallies, with more protests still to come throughout the day.
The strikes targeted a wide array of services: one in three primary school teachers walked off the job nationally, nearly one in two in Paris, according to the FSU-SNUipp union. Regional train traffic was heavily affected, while Paris Metro lines operated limited service outside peak hours. Protesters slowed highway traffic near Toulon, and striking rail workers briefly entered the Paris headquarters of the Economy Ministry, flares in hand.
Police deployed in force, with the Interior Ministry mobilizing 80,000 officers and gendarmes, including riot units, drones, and armored vehicles. Tear gas was used to disperse a pre-dawn blockade of a Paris bus depot, and clashes broke out in Nantes and Lyon, leaving at least three people injured. By midday, police reported 94 arrests nationwide.
Union leaders said they were fighting proposals for budget cuts and social welfare freezes that they argue would worsen inequality. "We want a socially fair budget," Marylise Leon, head of the CFDT union, said. "This is a warning, a clear warning to Sébastien Lecornu."
Protesters also called for reversing Macron's contentious pension reform, which raised the retirement age from 62 to 64 and triggered months of unrest last year. "Public service is falling apart," teacher Claudia Nunez said at a rally. "It's always the same people who pay."
Lecornu, appointed last week after parliament ousted François Bayrou over a €44 billion deficit-reduction plan, has not yet indicated whether he will stick to his predecessor's proposal. His government must win support from rival factions to pass a 2026 budget at a time when France's deficit stands near double the EU's 3% ceiling, worrying investors.
For Macron, whose term runs until 2027, Thursday's unrest underscored the political stakes. Left-wing parties have called for higher taxes on the wealthy rather than spending cuts, while business groups and financial markets are pressing for credible deficit reduction.
