Hundreds of thousands of people participated in various parts of France on Thursday in demonstrations and protest marches in response to calls from trade union bodies. This move, which was under the slogan “Enough is enough,” comes after the demonstrations that broke out over the high costs of living and the deterioration of public services and education led to the worst unrest France has witnessed in years. Although the student protests were largely peaceful, some witnessed confrontations with police in which tear bombs and water cannons were used to disperse demonstrators.

Published on: 05/11/2026 - 22:09 Last updated: 05/11/2026 - 22:38

After weeks of unrest that shook the government of French President Emmanuel Macron five months before the presidential elections, hundreds of thousands of people came out again across France on Thursday to participate in demonstrations and protest movements organized by union bodies under the slogan “Enough is enough” to demand an increase in wages and a reduction in the cost of living, in conjunction with new student demonstrations.

For weeks, France has been witnessing demonstrations by high school students to protest deteriorating educational conditions and the university guidance system. In parallel, widespread protests against the high cost of living and inequality began, reaching their peak on October 17 with the worst riots in France in years.

Read also: Live - Hundreds of thousands demonstrate in Paris and major French cities to protest the high cost of living

At a march in the city of Clermont-Ferrand in the center of the country, Sylvie Larnouri (61 years old), a health sector official, said: “There is a general feeling of anger, enough is enough. We are not dying of hunger, but we are forced to help our children even though they have completed their education.”

In Marseille in southeastern France, the second largest city in the country, Lea (31 years old), a social worker who carried a sign that read: “Angry mother, living is very expensive,” expressed her fatigue with the need to constantly ration her expenses.

"We can no longer afford food. This scares me. I have to buy poor quality products. We want cheaper goods, and cheaper fuel," she said.

The Interior Ministry said that 600,000 people participated in the protests across France, while the Confederation General Labor Union (CGT), one of the organizers, said that 1.6 million people participated.

Public and private education unions had called for a strike, as well as unions representing railway, public hospital and postal service workers.

According to the government, about 15.81 percent of teachers responded to strike calls.

According to authorities' figures, 81 of the country's 3,700 high schools were "besieged."

On the other hand, the Secondary School Students Union reported that lessons had been suspended in a thousand high schools, whether due to protests or an administrative decision.

While the Ministry of Higher Education announced that 33 percent of its institutions, or 60 out of 184, are witnessing “unrest,” the “Student Union” union, which represents French students, reported that “90 percent” of France’s approximately 70 universities are witnessing a state of “mobilization,” which means demonstrations or suspension of classes.

The unions are demanding that the government and employers raise the minimum wage, which has not been modified since 2012, as well as general salary increases, tax reforms, and improving educational conditions for students.

70,000 police and security forces were mobilized after the authorities vowed a “very firm response” to any “acts of violence” or disruption of order.

"Confrontations with the police"

Although the student protests were largely peaceful, some witnessed confrontations with police in which tear bombs and water cannons were used to disperse the demonstrators.

An investigation was opened into attempted murder after firebombs were thrown at security forces in Paris on Saturday.

On the other hand, criticism was directed at the methods adopted by the police in dealing with the movements, and it was accused of using excessive violence, and internal investigations are already being conducted in this regard.

A number of teenage demonstrators were seriously injured, and thousands of them were arrested.

The authorities acknowledged the existence of security and intelligence failures that led to the confrontations and allowed for widespread looting and vandalism of public property on October 17.

On Wednesday, the local authorities in Paris refused to authorize a large demonstration to adopt a path extending from Place de la Bastille and Place de la Concorde, meaning that it passes through the center of the capital, but they allowed it to take a path far from it.

Several unions saw the ban on the tracks as a suppression of the freedom to demonstrate, and some of them filed last-minute appeals to re-accredit these tracks.

Fabrice Faure of the General Confederation of Labor noted that "popular sympathy for the movement of high school and university students is not diminishing, and people are questioning the restrictions imposed on freedoms, especially the ban on demonstrations."

He believed that this matter "was a wake-up call for people who do not usually express their opinions much."

In recent weeks, other European countries have witnessed protests similar to those taking place in France, including youth demonstrations in Denmark, Germany, and Italy.

Behind a banner reading, “From Greece to France, we fight for free, formal education,” about 4,000 people demonstrated Thursday in the Greek capital, Athens, and Thessaloniki, the country’s second largest city, according to police and Agence France-Presse journalists.

France 24/ Agencies

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