Overview

• All major unions coordinated walkouts that disrupted regional rail, the Paris Metro, schools, hospitals and left most pharmacies closed, with hundreds of thousands marching in more than 250 demonstrations.
• Authorities deployed about 80,000 police and gendarmes, used tear gas in several cities and reported more than 180 arrests after sporadic clashes on the margins of rallies.
• Interior ministry projections put turnout between 600,000 and 900,000 nationwide, while unions claimed higher participation in the day of action.
• EDF said workers cut nuclear generation by about 1.1 gigawatts as part of the industrial action, highlighting economic ripple effects beyond transport and public services.
• Sébastien Lecornu, appointed after François Bayrou was ousted over a €44bn savings plan, has scrapped proposed holiday cuts and vowed concessions but has yet to detail his budget as he seeks support to avoid a fresh no-confidence vote.