France wakes up on another day on Thursday as hundreds of thousands of people are expected to take part in strikes and demonstrations against the government’s new austerity measures.
Eight major unions have called on citizens to take them to the streets across the country for what was called the “brutal” budget plan announced over the summer.
The collapse of the François Bailloux government last week has not blocked union leaders who maintain a call for mobilization.
Authorities are pretending to be one of the biggest demonstrations since pension reforms protested two years ago. Intelligence Services estimates that between 600,000 and 900,000 people can participate nationwide, including up to 100,000 people in Paris.
By 11am, authorities had already counted more than 230 individual protests across the country, including bus warehouses and school blockades.
About 10,000 people have participated in these actions, according to resigning Home Minister Bruno Letterou, who argued that the actions were “less intense as expected.”
According to Retailleau, at least 58 people have been arrested nationwide. In Paris, 11 people are being detained during an early morning brawl.
Travel in and around the French capital has already been severely affected. The Paris Metro and commuter trains operate with reduced capacity, but regional services throughout the Paris region have been significantly disrupted.
According to the National Rail Company SNCF, nine of the 10 high-speed TGV trains are maintained, but the local TER line is only operating around 60%.
Strikes are becoming more common in schools. According to the union, a third of elementary school teachers have been on strike. At secondary schools, almost half of the staff are away from the classroom.
SNES-FSU Union, representing middle and high schools, reported 45% participation, denounced lower working conditions, lower wages and “weakened public education.”
On Martinique in the Caribbean, France’s overseas territory, 150,000 residents were temporarily left without water after being intentionally closed at a major distribution site that authorities described as sabotage.
Supply has since been restored, but a second attempt at closure has been reported at the same site.
Thousands of law enforcement officers have been deployed
Security forces are deployed in an exceptional number. Approximately 80,000 police and genderm have been mobilized across France, and Paris has a heavy presence.
Police Chief Laurent Nuñez warned that hundreds or even thousands of violent far-left groups were preparing to infiltrate the union’s protests. He urged shopkeepers to close their businesses along the protest route and protect their storefronts.
The newly appointed Prime Minister Sebastian Lecorne quickly scrapped one of the most unpopular proposals, but eliminated two open holidays, but he has not ruled out the rest.
These include overhauling unemployment benefits, confusion of pensions from inflation, and increased out-of-pocket costs.
At the heart of the showdown is France’s fragile finances. Last year’s deficit reached 5.8% of GDP, with the EU cap nearly double the 3%, but now domestic debt is over 3.3 trillion euros and around 114% of economic output.
Bayrou has argued that dramatic cuts are inevitable and has submitted plans to cut 44 billion euros spending by 2026.
