Overview
- The Interior Ministry reported about 270,000 people on the streets nationwide, the agency said Thursday, with demonstrations large in multiple cities and some clashes with police.
- Unions are centering demands on higher pay and a bigger minimum wage, with CFDT leader Marylise Léon calling for a €100 net monthly rise.
- Police used tear gas in Paris, Lyon and Nantes and authorities deployed 70,000 security personnel after recent nights of rioting that left shops damaged and some downtown routes closed.
- The government has pledged further minimum-wage increases and released ten million barrels of diesel to cut pump prices by roughly 12–18 cents per liter for three months, but officials say budget limits leave little room for bigger fiscal concessions.
- The protests began with student and Yellow Vest actions over school conditions and living costs and have widened to labour demands, a dynamic that could keep pressure on public services and the political calendar five months before the presidential vote.