French protests draw 600,000, unions claim 1.6 million

metronieuws.nl (Dutch) —

Hundreds of thousands of people protested peacefully in France on Thursday against high living costs and deteriorating public services, with police deploying tear gas in some locations. The interior ministry estimated 600,000 demonstrators, while the CGT union claimed 1.6 million. Protesters demanded "dignified wages," with students, teachers, farmers, and "yellow vests" participating. The demonstrations were largely calm, though clashes and arson occurred in Paris and Lyon, where police used tear gas and water cannons. The protests follow similar demonstrations in mid-October that saw vandalism, injuries, and thousands of arrests, drawing criticism of heavy-handed police tactics. Thursday's events were notably quieter by comparison.


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