Photo credit: France 24
Protesters took to the streets of more than 200 towns and cities across France on Thursday to denounce spending cuts and demand higher taxes on the rich.
In Paris, thousands of workers, retirees and students marched from Place d’Italie. The Eiffel Tower informed visitors it was closed due to the strike.
Called by France’s major unions, the nationwide strike was the latest of a series of protests that started last month amid political turmoil and heated budget talks.
Unions are urging Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu to abandon draft budget measures proposed by his predecessor, which include social welfare freezes and austerity measures that many say will further erode the purchasing power of low-paid and middle-class workers. They also call for higher taxes on the wealthy.
Lecornu has not yet unveiled the details of his budget plans and has yet to appoint his government ministers. The deeply divided parliament is expected to debate the budget bill by the end of the year.
The head of the CGT union, Sophie Binet, said, “It’s the first time that there are three days of strikes and protests in a month without a government or budget. It shows the level of social anger.”
The French Interior Ministry said 85,000 protesters had taken to the streets by midday outside Paris.
High-speed train services were running normally according to SNCL, the national rail company. However, some regional lines were affected by partial disruptions. In Paris, metro traffic was close to normal, but many commuting trains were running at reduced capacity.
Some teachers and healthcare workers have also joined the strike.. However, early figures appeared to show fewer people responded to the unions’ call than last month.
