Mass protests sweep France again, as workers strike and march for ‘dignified wage’

Hundreds of thousands of striking workers protested across France on Thursday against the rising cost of living following weeks of youth-led demonstrations, with police firing tear gas as clashes broke out in some cities.

The marches come as the euro zone's second-largest economy battles to redress its dire finances, six months ahead of elections to replace President Emmanuel Macron, with the far-right leading in the opinion polls.

While the CGT union put Thursday's turnout at 1.6 million across France, the interior ministry said 575,000 people had taken part, revising downwards an earlier estimate of 600,000. It said 60,000 had marched in Paris.