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Hundreds of thousands of protesters are expected to march through French cities on Thursday, November 5, as trade unions, students and workers stage a nationwide day of strikes and demonstrations over rising living costs, low wages and deteriorating public services and education conditions.
Authorities expect between 500,000 and 700,000 demonstrators outside Paris, and around 70,000 police officers and gendarmes have been deployed nationwide, according to BFM TV and the domestic intelligence service. The Education Ministry said 17.5 percent of public primary school teachers were expected to strike, while unions warned of likely disruption to rail and public transport services. Power unions were also expected to join the strike, state-owned utility EDF said.
The mobilisation was called by trade unions including the left-wing CGT and backed by student groups. The student union UNEF called for a demonstration of young people and workers at 2 p.m. at the Place de la Bastille in Paris, and protest organisers are calling for further demonstrations in the coming days.
President Emmanuel Macron convened a defence and security meeting on Wednesday ahead of the protests, underlining how a movement that began with student anger over deteriorating school conditions and concerns about opportunities for young people has grown into a broader challenge to his government.
The day of action follows weeks of unrest. On October 17, about 550,000 people marched across France, according to police figures, and violent groups torched buildings and looted shops in several cities, leaving damaged shops and public buildings and fuelling criticism of Macron's handling of the crisis. Police arrested at least 1,800 people across the country that weekend, including 855 in the Paris region.
The protests began in September over poor conditions in schools and were joined by anger over the rising cost of living. A previous power sector strike in mid-September reduced electricity supply and cut delivery capacity at France's biggest liquefied natural gas terminal, Dunkirk LNG.
The unrest comes five months before France's next presidential election, and it is the latest major political test for Macron, whose government has faced repeated strikes and demonstrations over its budget plans and cuts to public spending.
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