Beit Yisrael International: At least half a million French people took part in a day of protests and strikes against austerity policies

 Beit Yisrael International: At least half a million French people took part in a day of protests and strikes against austerity policies

Many striking workers and teenagers blocked high schools in protest against the expected budget cuts. According to the unions, more than a million demonstrated. The protesters demanded increased investment in public services and higher taxes for the rich

00:00

02:30

Listen to the article

 

 

 

 

 

colbass.com

Anti-austerity demonstrators in France with a mask in the image of French tycoon Bernard Arnault and the parody caption 'fiscal fitness' (Photo: dpa via Reuters Connect)

Reuters News Agency

Last updated: 18.09.2025 | 23:24

Related Topics:

• World Economy
• Social Protest
• Protest around the world

Huge demonstrations against the austerity policy, with the participation of hundreds of thousands, were held today (Thursday) in France. According to the French Labour Confederation (CGT), more than 1 million took part in the demonstrations, but the French Interior Ministry said it was 500,000.

Teachers, taxi drivers, pharmacists and medical staff were among those who participated in the strike as part of the protest day. The protesters are demanding that President Emmanuel Macron and new Prime Minister Sébastien Lecorne acknowledge the widespread anger and cancel the expected budget cuts.

Many street checkpoints were set up in the morning at bus stops, traffic centers and even schools, with teenagers blocking dozens of high schools for hours. Dozens of demonstrators briefly broke into the courtyard of the Ministry of Economy. More than 180 protesters were detained in the country, and 30 arrests were made in Paris.

France is suffering from an ongoing budgetary and political crisis. The country has the third-highest debt-to-GDP ratio in the European Union, at 114%. Prime Minister Lecorny, who was appointed after the collapse of the previous government earlier this month, is in discussions on a new austerity budget. The strikes were initiated by a broad coalition of labor unions, who argued that the measures could threaten the livelihood of workers, pensioners and low-income households. The intention to cancel two national holidays has been particularly harshly criticized, although Lacorni has already announced that the move will be abandoned.

Protesters and unions have called for the previous government's fiscal measures to be abandoned, to increase investment in public services, to raise taxes for the rich, and to reverse the unpopular measure that required people to work longer to get a pension.

"The anger is enormous, and so is the determination," said Sophie Bina, who heads the French Confederation of Labor, which has hundreds of thousands of workers unionized. "My message to Mr. LeCorno today is this: The streets are the ones who have to decide on the budget."

This is a Google Translation of: לפחות חצי מיליון צרפתים השתתפו ביום מחאה ושביתות נגד מדיניות הצנע - אתר החדשות דבר