Around 250 protests against the rising cost of living were planned in cities and towns across the country and hundreds of thousands of people were likely to take part, unions announced before the events began.
France’s main unions, including the CGT and CNT representing public and private sector workers, and the UNEF, representing students, have warned President Emmanuel Macron’s government that the country is on the brink of recession.
“Everything is increasing except salaries and pensions,” they said in a joint statement. “The anger is immense.”
“The situation in this country is fragile. Urgent social and environmental challenges must be addressed without delay,” the statement added.
The movement arose from a student protest against staff shortages at the Antoine de Saint-Exupéry high school in Créteil, a southeastern suburb of Paris. Videos of the blockade spread on social media and protests quickly spread to high schools across the country.
As the movement grew, the list of grievances expanded beyond the failures of the public school system to encompass broader economic, political, and social discontent. Soon university students, teachers, parents and politicians also joined in.
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