France: More than 250,000 people demonstrate for a general strike

In France, a general strike has once again brought hundreds of thousands of people onto the streets. The AFP news agency quotes the Interior Ministry in Paris as saying that around 270,000 people across the country were taking part in the protests around 1 p.m. The authorities expect up to 700,000 demonstrators in numerous French cities and up to 80,000 more protest participants in Paris.

The reason for the general strike are demands for a significantly higher minimum wage. “We want to be able to make a reasonable living from our work,” said union leader Marylise Léon to the BFM broadcaster. Education also remains an issue: students set up blockades made of garbage cans and barriers in front of numerous schools. Police 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.

“Because we’re still not being listened to”

"We continue to protest because people still don't listen to us," said 15-year-old student Luce from Strasbourg. “In other countries the school days are much shorter, and that works too,” she said, referring to the long school days in France. 17-year-old Luna complained that it was “much too cold” at school and that the heating didn’t work.

In the capital, the Eiffel Tower will remain closed on Thursday due to the strike. Numerous regional trains are canceled. 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 and 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. Minister Laurent Nuñez admitted that the security forces were overwhelmed on the day of the worst riots. 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," said Nuñez.