KEY POINTS
- Sept 10 protests caused nationwide disruption; 500+ arrests reported.
- Unions estimate 250,000 turnout, government cites 197,000.
- Fresh mobilisation set for Sept 18 amid backlash over €44B cuts.
- Clashes damaged property, blocked roads, and disrupted schools.
ISLAMABAD: French unions on Thursday renewed calls for mobilisation after the “Block Everything” protests that shook the country a day earlier.
The unions vowed to take to the streets again on September 18 if President Emmanuel Macron’s government presses ahead with sweeping austerity measures.
“We will be back in even greater numbers on the 18th,” CGT secretary general Sophie Binet told Le Monde, adding that the movement against cuts to pensions, schools and hospitals “has only just begun.”
The Interior Ministry said over 500 people were arrested nationwide, including more than 200 in Paris, after demonstrations on September 10 turned violent.
Roads, train lines, and schools were blocked in dozens of cities, while police used tear gas and water cannon to clear barricades.
Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau told reporters that those seeking to paralyse the country “failed in their objective,” insisting that “France continued to function.”
Union leaders disagreed. Sophie Binet, secretary general of the CGT, said the protests showed “the French people’s determination not to accept €44 billion in cuts that target pensions, schools and hospitals.”
She put turnout at “more than 250,000 nationwide,” while the government’s official count stood at 197,000.
Damage assessments are still being compiled, but authorities reported dozens of vehicles torched, street furniture destroyed, and public buildings defaced.
Energy operator RTE said several power lines were sabotaged in Brittany, while the Education Ministry confirmed that nearly a quarter of schools faced closures or strikes on Wednesday. Transport unions in Paris said metro and bus services were “severely disrupted for hours.”
The protests came just one day after Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu took office, replacing François Bayrou following a failed confidence vote.
The timing underscored the fragile and political environment. The far-left party La France Insoumise has already announced plans to file another no-confidence motion, raising the stakes for Lecornu as he seeks to shepherd the 2026 budget through parliament.
Analysts say the coming week could be decisive. “The September 18 mobilisation will test whether unions can sustain momentum or whether public fatigue sets in,” said political scientist Bruno Cautrès of Sciences Po, in comments to Le Monde.
“For Macron and Lecornu, it is not just about fiscal reform — it’s about authority itself.”
