France rocked by massive public sector and student strikes

France was gripped by widespread protests and public sector strikes on Tuesday, as hundreds of thousands of workers and students took to the streets to protest austerity measures and a collapsing cost of living. The mobilization comes just days before the government is scheduled to present its new budget and months ahead of a presidential election where the far-right is currently favored.

An inter-union coalition, including the CGT and CFDT, organized over 170 marches nationwide. While the Ministry of the Interior estimated 200,000 participants, the CGT union placed the figure at 300,000, with approximately 30,000 to 70,000 protesters centering in Paris.

Parallel to the labor strikes, a fierce student movement erupted in secondary schools. Denouncing overcrowded classrooms and insufficient staffing, students blocked hundreds of institutions across the country. These protests turned violent in the Île-de-France region, where images on social media showed police deploying tear gas at close range. Interior Minister Laurent Núñez reported 440 arrests and 48 injured security officers, while the Ministry of Education confirmed 31 injuries among students and staff.

The protests saw a diverse array of participants. Firefighters, who were pushed to their limits during a catastrophic summer of wildfires, marched under banners reading, “France burns, your firefighters with it.” Teachers and healthcare workers echoed these sentiments, citing staff shortages and deteriorating conditions. Mathilde Bourgain, a physics teacher in Paris, described a system in collapse, noting that many educators are now forced to work across multiple centers to cover gaps left by budget cuts.

The primary driver of the unrest is a proposed €54 billion fiscal adjustment announced by Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu to combat record public debt. For many workers, this austerity measure is the breaking point. Union leaders highlighted a staggering disparity in purchasing power: according to INSEE, accumulated inflation has reached approximately 24% since 2017, while public sector wages have risen by only about 5% in the same period.

The unrest has sparked a political firestorm. Prime Minister Lecornu criticized an “irresponsible escalation” fueled by the left-wing party La France Insoumise (LFI). In response, LFI leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon accused the government of ordering “repression” against youth who are simply defending their future.

Warning that “indignation is growing,” the unions have already scheduled a series of follow-up actions for early October, including strikes by energy workers, TotalEnergies employees, and pensioners.

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