Tens of thousands of government workers, teachers, transport employees and other union workers in France walked off the job Thursday to take part in the latest round of massive economic protests that have roiled the European nation, expressing their frustration with low wages and the high cost of living. What was billed as a national day of action started with nearly 200 peaceful rallies across the country. The General Confederation of Labour, or GCL, one of France's major unions, said that about 1.6 million people took to the streets, while France's Interior Ministry pegged the number much lower, at about 600,000.
The demonstrations even briefly shut down the Eiffel Tower. "Our salaries do not allow us to live anymore," Sophie Binet, the head of GCL, told CBS News when asked why the ongoing demonstrations have taken center stage in France. Binet urged supporters to continue the protests and accused French President Emmanuel Macron of not hearing the people's cries for help.
"Because he thinks he knows everything alone," Binet said of Macron. "Because he works for the rich, for the … multinational and for the finance, not for the working people." Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu on Monday called for a meeting with the unions, but another protest is already scheduled for this coming Saturday. Bally Bagayoko, the mayor of Saint-Denis, a Paris suburb, told CBS News that Macron is "incapable of bringing answers," saying that protesters are "fed up with having a society that is more and more privileged — the strongest in the world that leaves behind an ocean of inequalities." Several protesters told CBS News they want to see the French government reduce its military and domestic law enforcement spending and boost funding of social services.
Thursday's rallies turned violent in some areas, ending with the use of tear gas by police to clear out protesters. Clashes broke out during several of the demonstrations. Protesters torched a car in the central French city of Lyon and burned objects on the streets of Paris.
The anti-government demonstrations first began in late September among high school and university students in Paris who were protesting poor school conditions, teacher shortages and infrastructure issues. They quickly spread and gained a wider backing, with local surveys showing nearly six in 10 people in France support them. In many instances, though, the protests have degenerated into violence, with buildings and landmarks burned, small businesses vandalized, and clashes with police that led to thousands of arrests.
At the height of the violence last month, curfews were issued in several cities.
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