Social discontent in France continues: On Thursday, schoolchildren, students and workers took to the streets across the country to demand better learning conditions and higher salaries. According to information from the Interior Ministry, around 270,000 people took part in the protests nationwide around 1 p.m. The unions reported a similarly high number of participants.
By midday, the unions counted 250,000 participants in a good 70 different locations. The authorities expected a total of up to 700,000 demonstrators in numerous French cities and up to 80,000 additional protest participants in Paris. In the capital, the Eiffel Tower remained closed due to the strike. Numerous regional trains were canceled.
The preliminary figures from the Interior Ministry related to around 180 demonstrations outside Paris. So far, the rallies have been largely trouble-free. But there were incidents in Lyon and Nantes, according to those close to Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez. A car was set on fire in Lyon.
In front of numerous schools in France, students are again setting up blockades made of garbage cans and barriers. In many cases the police intervened. It used tear gas in Paris, Nantes and Lyon. According to union information, almost 1,000 of the 3,700 high schools nationwide were affected by blockades. The government reported 81 blocked schools and 16 percent strike participation among teachers. Every third university was also affected by protests.
“We continue to protest because we are still not being listened to,” said 15-year-old student Luce from Strasbourg. “In other countries the school days are much shorter, and that works,” she said, referring to the school days in France, which are very long by international standards. 17-year-old Luna complained that it was “much too cold” at school and that the heating didn’t work.
In several cases, the authorities had banned rallies in city centers to prevent shops from being looted. Over the past weekend, around 3,000 shops were damaged, destroyed and/or looted during riots.
In Toulouse, several unions want to march through the city center in the afternoon despite the ban. In Paris, the authorities approved a classic demonstration route between the Bastille and the Nation, but not through the city center. Along the demonstration route, numerous shops had boarded up their shop windows with chipboard. The Interior Ministry announced the deployment of 70,000 security forces.
The unions are protesting primarily against the government's austerity plans and are demanding higher wages and salaries. “We want to be able to make a reasonable living from our work,” said CFDT union leader Marylise Léon on Thursday to the broadcaster BFM.
Interior Minister Nuñez recently admitted that the security forces were overwhelmed on October 17, the day of the worst riots to date. There was an “unprecedented mix” of different groups, including trade unions, yellow vests, left-wing radical rioters, criminals and young looters.
The minister nevertheless rejected a change in strategy or reduced armament of the security forces. “The security forces must be able to defend themselves if they are attacked,” he emphasized. According to him, 22,000 tear gas grenades were used on October 17 alone. Numerous people were seriously injured. The police inspectorate is currently investigating 83 cases of suspected illegal police violence.
