French general strike - a quarter of a million protest

- It will be powerful. The crisis is deep and the tensions are extremely high, says Dominique Corona, deputy general secretary of the union central organization Unsa, to Le Monde.

More than a quarter of a million people are protesting, in 73 cities, according to the union CGT's figures, reports Le Figaro. Schools and streets have been barricaded since morning and the protest trains have started rolling around the country. In Marseille, 200 musicians stand in the sea of ​​people and play the Italian battle song "Bella ciao".

But in Lyon, the demonstrations have been blocked by members of the Black Bloc. They have smashed shop windows and thrown projectiles at the police - who have responded with tear gas.

Unions in public and private education have called for a general strike, and unions representing railway workers, public hospitals and postal services are also taking part. Large parts of the country are expected to stand still. In addition, students and people from the "yellow vests" join.

The demonstrators demand general wage increases, an increase in the minimum wage, a protected welfare and better study conditions for young people.

- We want to amplify the voices of working life, where people struggle to earn a decent living from their work, says Marylise Léon, general secretary of the largest trade union CFDT, to Le Monde.

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez announced on Wednesday that 70,000 police and security forces would be deployed across the country. He promised an "extremely forceful response" to acts of violence or unrest.

The student protests have largely been peaceful, but looting and violence have also followed in the wake of the demonstrations. Police have been criticized for a heavy-handed response and internal police investigations have been launched into allegations of brutality against young protesters.

During the demonstrations on the last weekend of October, authorities at the last second banned the planned route that the protesters were planning to take in Paris and replaced it with a route outside the city center, sparking anger.

- We see a cumulative effect: public sympathy for the movement of high school and university students is not diminishing, and people are questioning restrictions on freedoms, especially bans on demonstrations, says Fabrice Fort from the CGT union.