Where things stand
• General strike: French riot police fired tear gas in Paris and Lyon while scuffles broke out in Nantes and authorities arrested agitators who vandalized a Rennes hotel. But overall, the roughly 200 demonstrations across France on Thursday – attended by an estimated 575,000 people – remained relatively peaceful.
• Widespread disruptions: The strike was organized by L’intersyndicale, the group that represents all of France’s main trade unions. Education, health care, public transportation and other sectors were impacted with many services closed for the day.
• Europe discontent: Anti-government protests have swept across the continent in recent weeks. In Greece, students and teachers gathered in central Athens on Thursday to stress the importance of free public education and protest the rising housing and food costs affecting students.
Updates
(23)Our live coverage of the protests in France has ended for the day. Read more on the topic here
Marches of 575,000 people in France were largely peaceful, Interior Ministry says
At least 448 people have been detained during the nationwide protests in France, the country’s Interior Ministry said, though that is a fraction of the estimated 575,000 who took part.
The ministry revised down its count of protesters, from the 600,000 it reported earlier today.
There were about 65,000 protesters in Paris alone, the ministry said.
The marches across the country were largely peaceful and proceeded without major incidents, the ministry said. There were some clashes between police and “groups of radical and far-left activists” in places like Rennes, Nantes, Lyon and Marseille, it said.
Firefighters responded to 86 fires, including one at a school common room that was destroyed in Toulouse, it said. An effigy of a police riot officer was set on fire in Strasbourg.
How a protest that began with students swelled into a larger movement in France
Hundreds of thousands of people are protesting across France today, but it’s a movement that grew out of protests that happened two months ago.
In September, students and teachers at a high school in the Parisian suburbs went on strike, demanding more staff and resources. Their demands were met and the strike ended – but it lit a spark that soon caught nationwide.
The movement has since swelled into a collective cry of anger, bringing together groups with different grievances, capturing widespread discontent over affordability, perceived government inaction, a growing wealth divide, and a deep desire for social and political change.
No longer confined to students, the movement has drawn in trade unions and yellow vest protesters, who are voicing frustrations over the cost of living and calling for French President Emmanuel Macron to go. The labor unions that have called today’s demonstrations in France are demanding higher wages and pensions.
With so many causes now fueling the protests, the anger is unlikely to subside anytime soon.
And with France heading into a deeply divisive presidential election in April, the stakes are only getting higher.
Far-right leader Marine Le Pen, who is leading in the polls, claimed at the end of October that “legitimate social grievances have, yet again, been held hostage by the far left.” Her hard-left rival, Jean-Luc Mélenchon has repeatedly defended the students’ right to protest.
More than a fifth of French adults say they've struggled to afford food recently
The skyrocketing cost of living in France is one of the factors driving this wave of protests as anxieties around low wages, high prices and the state of public services explode onto the streets.
Prime minister convening meeting with employers and unions next week
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu will hold a “social conference” with employers and unions next Monday as hundreds of thousands of people participate in protests across the country.
The conference will be aimed at addressing questions around “purchasing power and wages,” the prime minister’s office said in a statement.
Today’s general strike and protests have been organized by L’intersyndicale, the group that represents all of France’s main trade unions.
How things are looking in Paris this evening
Place de la Nation, in eastern Paris, is a historic plaza synonymous with protest. Marches often end here, and we’re used to seeing huge clouds of tear gas as protesters clash with police.
But tonight, it’s quite an unusual and arresting sight to see the square so full after dark. A huge mass of people continue to stand still beneath a monument celebrating the triumph of the French Republic.
The protest in Paris was authorized by city officials to wrap up at 7 p.m. local time (1 p.m. ET). But with less than 30 minutes to go, it’s unlikely everyone will be able to disperse quickly.
Protesters say they are anxious about low pay and state of public services
Although this movement initially began with students protesting the state of the education system, it has morphed into one that includes several other concerns united by a key factor: the poor state of the economy.
Protesters on Thursday said they are anxious about low salaries, which have not kept up with inflation, as well as underresourced public services.
“There is a lot of concern about the future, notably the issues of salaries, public services,” Alice Martinovic, an 18-year-old student participating in the Paris protest, told Reuters.
“I hope in the upcoming elections the candidates will really think about this movement and include the opinions of young people, of students, who are now joined by a lot of other workers.”
Meanwhile, Mehdi Dumontroty, a 45-year-old firefighter also protesting in Paris, told Reuters that “our pay has not kept up with inflation.”
“What happened this summer proves that we were right when we said we needed more resources to deal with the crisis that we faced,” he said, referencing fierce wildfires which swept across southern France amid record-breaking, climate change-fueled heat waves.
Almost 600,000 people on streets in biggest turnout since wave of protests began
Almost 600,000 protesters are on the streets of France today, the country’s interior ministry has just estimated, making Thursday the biggest day of protests since this current wave of unrest began in September.
Earlier today, at 1 p.m. local time (7 a.m. ET), the ministry had estimated that 270,000 people were protesting but that number excluded Paris, where a march began this afternoon.
The ministry is expected to release its final figures later today but, as of now, its current estimates indicate that these demonstrations are not quite as big as the 2023 pension reform protests.
French minister condemns "act of arson" at school near Toulouse
French education minister Édouard Geffray has condemned what he said was a “deliberate act of arson” at a school near the city of Toulouse in southern France.
The minister thanked firefighters and law enforcement officials for helping to “limit the damage” cause by the flames.
“This deliberate act of arson could have had tragic consequences for human life. I condemn it in the strongest possible terms and call on everyone to condemn it unequivocally,” he added, while vowing to hold those responsible to account.
Earlier, France’s interior ministry said the blaze started after fireworks were directed at an office hosting the school’s student services.
Authorities in Rennes arrest several dozen agitators who vandalized hotel
Authorities in Rennes said they arrested “several dozen” masked individuals who vandalized a hotel, threw objects at police and “violently attacked” union members who were protesting earlier today.
Photos taken by local media show that vandals smashed the hotel’s glass doors and painted graffiti on windows.
Some masked individuals also tried to erect barricades to block some of the city’s roads, lit fires in garbage bins, and threw heavy pétanque balls – used in a popular French game – at police, authorities added.
Despite violent clashes like this, however, the protests today have largely been peaceful even as they have been attended by hundreds of thousands of people.
Mood sours in Paris as tear gas deployed and medics tend to wounded
As today’s march in Paris got underway, the trade unions were in a jubilant mood. Music blared out as the crowd, dominated by left-wing groups, sang and chanted slogans against the government and the far-right.
A police helicopter buzzed above, but in the confines of the avenue we were walking down, there was little sense of the heavy police presence around the protest.
In the distance, the soaring statue of Marianne – the national symbol of France – got smaller and smaller as the march inched its way forward.
The protest route is packed. The movement of the crowd has been brought to a near standstill at points by the sheer quantity of people.
Later, several protesters were seen lying on the ground being treated by street medics, with blood flowing from the head of an older man. A bystander said the man was struck by police, but an officer at the scene said they were unaware of any incident.
At one point, protesters scattered as tear gas was deployed by police, followed by mass cries of “everyone hates the police.”
The mood of the crowd has lost its upbeat feel.
How are the strikes affecting schools, hospitals and transport in France?
Several of France’s biggest unions, representing everyone from students, teachers and postal workers to doctors, pharmacists and transport workers, have called for a nationwide strike. So, how is that affecting these essential services?
Schools: About 13% of all school staff are participating in the strikes, France’s education ministry estimates, including 16% of all teachers. Around 19% of schools and 18% of colleges across France are affected by the strike.
Universities: About one in three of France’s higher education are “disrupted” because of the strikes and protests, the government told CNN.
Hospitals: Very few public hospital staff – only about 4% of the workforce – are participating in the strike, France’s healthcare ministry told CNN. “No significant disruption to healthcare services has been reported,” the ministry added. Two of France’s main unions representing both public and private healthcare workers had called on them to strike, citing the high cost of living and the deterioriation of public services.
Transport: Four in 10 of today’s scheduled trains have been canceled, though a handful of those cancelations are due to other factors like unavailable equipment, according to tracking website Trayn.
What are demonstrators in France demanding?
The labor unions that have called today’s demonstrations in France are demanding higher wages and pensions. In particular, the largest of the unions – the CGT – says the minimum wage needs to be increased immediately by 10%.
Last month, the CGT claimed there had been a big increase in the number of professions paying some employees less than the minimum wage. Another union - the CFDT – is demanding a 100 euro increase in the minimum monthly wage, about 7%.
Maud Millier, a CGT official in Lyon, said that the government’s announced minimum wage increase, from November 1, amounts to just €15 for someone earning the minimum wage, which she said was nowhere near enough given rising fuel and food prices.
Employers’ groups have warned that such increases would harm competitiveness and threaten employment.
Other groups involved in the protests have different demands. Students’ groups are demanding an increase of more than $10 billion in the education budget, as well as $1.5 billion investment in school infrastructure and 250,000 additional university places.
The Gilets Jaunes or Yellow Vests – a radical movement that first emerged eight years ago – is demanding the departure of President Emmanuel Macron and his government, and a new constitutional process. It also protests economic inequality but has no formal leadership.
What is the "Black Bloc?"
Police have said that “Black Bloc” protesters are on the streets today – agitators accused by French authorities of provoking violence towards the end of largely peaceful demonstrations in recent weeks.
Black Bloc protesters usually wear matching or similar black clothing, face masks and hoods during protests to hide their identity. But it’s not an organization with formal leadership; rather it’s a set of protest tactics. They first appeared in Germany in the 1980s and are mostly associated with anarchist and anti-capitalist movements. These methods gained prominence in France during the 2016 labor protests before spreading further during the Yellow Vest movement.
One Black Bloc tactic involves small, highly mobile groups breaking away from the main march, forcing police to spread their forces thin, making it harder for them to respond in a coordinated way.
That was on display last month when a group of protesters attempted to reach the Elysee Palace, drawing riot police away from the October 17 demonstration. The maneuver worked. Police resources were stretched, and it contributed to officers being overwhelmed that day.
Police use tear gas amid clashes in Lyon and Nantes
Police have clashed with demonstrators in the city of Lyon in central France. Riot police fired tear gas and charged a group of protesters, many of them masked, in scenes broadcast by CNN affiliate BFMTV. Some of the protesters were throwing objects towards the police, while a car was also set on fire.
There are 800 “Black Bloc” protesters present in the city, according to police.
Thousands of people are marching through central Lyon despite public transport workers being on strike, according to Maud Millier, regional secretary of the main labor union, the CGT.
There have also been scuffles in the city of Nantes in western France, where footage on BFMTV showed police firing tear gas as a tractor made its way through the city, surrounded by protesters.
The outlet also reported that a high school near the city of Toulouse was set on fire on Thursday morning.
Interior Ministry: 270,000 attend protests in France – excluding Paris
At 1 p.m. local time (7 a.m. ET), 270,000 people were taking part in nearly 200 demonstrations across France in the nationwide day of action organized by labor unions, according to the Interior Ministry.
That total excluded the capital, Paris, where a march is due to get underway shortly, but is higher than the number involved in protests outside Paris last weekend.
“The marches are generally proceeding smoothly, and some are still ongoing. However, tensions have been reported in Lyon, where several hundred individuals have formed a black bloc,” the Interior ministry said. The “black bloc” refers to masked protestors.
“In Nantes, initial incidents have been reported as the march disperses,” the ministry said, while in Paris “numerous unauthorized marches are being systematically monitored and dispersed by police on public roads.”
Near Toulouse, a fire broke out on the grounds of a school after incendiary devices were thrown, the ministry said.
“Law enforcement remains heavily mobilized for the afternoon demonstrations to contain violent groups, prevent unrest and intervene whenever necessary to protect people, secure the marches and safeguard public buildings.”
Students protest rising costs of education in Greece
Meanwhile in Greece, students and teachers have gathered in central Athens to stress the importance of free public education and protest the rising housing and food costs affecting students.
They held banners with painted-on phrases like “free and public education, safe facilities, that is what is right for students” according to Reuters, and forced roads in central Athens to close, the country’s national broadcaster ERT said.
“We demand dignified salaries, safe buildings, schools that educate all our students regardless of economic background, origin or gender,” Andreas Kargopoulous, president of a high school teachers union, told Reuters.
“We find the situation at the schools unacceptable, in terms of the facilities and the very nature of the schooling provided, which has been transformed into an exorbitantly expensive examination center.”
Eiffel Tower closed due to national strike
The Eiffel Tower, which attracts 7 million visitors a year, is closed today due to the national strike organized by French unions.
The 330-meter (1,083-foot) historic landmark has shut its doors before due to industrial action, including earlier this year during a strike by staff members. It was also closed in 2025 amid a searing heatwave.
Who is behind the protests?
Today’s general strike and protests have been organized by L’intersyndicale, the group that represents all of France’s main trade unions.
Education, health care, public transportation and other sectors are expected to be impacted, with many services shut for the day. But the strikes go beyond the public sector as employees of private companies are also joining in.
Other groups likely to be in attendance include students, climate activists and the Yellow Vests, the grassroots citizens’ movement established in 2018, as well as some allegedly extremist groups.
Parisian businesses prepare for massive protests, police deploy to train stations
Some high street businesses in the French capital boarded up their stores ahead of today’s demonstrations, as Parisians braced for another round of protests over the cost of living and other grievances.
Meanwhile, local police have been deployed to train stations across the city, with searches being carried out to confiscate dangerous items.
“No equipment intended for committing acts of violence should reach the gathering places,” police posted on X.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said Wednesday that no level of disorder would be tolerated and arrests would be made if necessary.
He added that routes have been agreed between authorities and trade unions in almost all cities where protests are expected, but some disagreements remain.
CNN’s Lucie Lepellec and Pierre Bairin contributed reporting.
