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French Unions Call Fresh Protests Next Saturday, Nationwide Strike On November 5
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Unions and protest groups urge fresh demonstrations next Saturday and a nationwide strike on November 5. Interior Ministry cited 410,000 participants; police deployed about 70,000 to manage protests.
10 outlets told this the same way.
Next Saturday, Nov 5
French protest groups and trade unions called for fresh demonstrations next Saturday and a nationwide strike on November 5 to maintain pressure on the government over low wages, rising living costs, and deteriorating public services. The Interior Ministry said 410,000 people took part in marches on Saturday, and the Interior Ministry said authorities deployed 70,000 police officers during the demonstrations to help prevent a repeat of the looting and vandalism that swept many cities on October 17. Murielle Guilbert, co-president of the left-wing Solidaires trade union federation, told BFM TV, "We are seeing anger building up," and Guilbert called on people to take to the streets again next Saturday.
The SUD Education teaching union announced it would join demonstrations on October 31, while the CGT union said it would decide on its participation in the coming days. The Yellow Vests movement, which emerged in 2018 in protest against fuel taxes, also called for mass demonstrations next Saturday, including sit-ins outside town halls and the National Assembly.
Arrests, injuries, police strain
The Interior Ministry said 1,314 people had been arrested, roughly half the number recorded the previous week, and the Interior Ministry said around 50 police officers were injured, compared with more than 1,000 the week before.
Police unions warned on Sunday that they lacked sufficient personnel to sustain for long the extensive security deployment used during Saturday’s marches.
Azelma Sigaux told reporters, "There is anger in this country. It's growing in schools and universities, on roundabouts, in neighbourhoods, on farms and in workplaces," as the protests spread beyond the student movement that emerged last month.
The French government opened talks with trade unions and student representatives to try to contain the crisis, but protest leaders said the measures proposed so far fall short.
DW said clashes broke out between protesters and police in cities like Paris, Marseille and Lyon, with police deploying tear gas and water cannons to disperse crowds.
Pressure across Europe
French protest calls reverberated across other European countries, with Belgian police using tear gas and pepper spray during clashes with anti-government demonstrators in Brussels on Saturday. In Albania, peaceful protests that began in late May escalated into violent unrest this month, and cities across Italy saw skirmishes for the second consecutive week. The protests also drew attention to the government’s limited options, because strained public finances constrain President Emmanuel Macron’s ability to act and Macron’s term ends in April.
Morocco World News said the government opened talks with trade unions and student representatives to ease tensions, while protest organizers said the discussions had yet to produce meaningful results. Murielle Guilbert told French broadcaster BFM TV, "We have received no response at all from this government," as police unions warned staffing shortages would make it difficult to maintain the high level of deployment over an extended period.