Trade Unions Join France’s Student Protests as 140,000 Rally Over Living Costs
More than 140,000 people rallied across France on November 7 as trade unions and workers joined the student-led protests against rising living costs for a fourth consecutive weekend. Although turnout was lower than at previous demonstrations, police fired tear gas in Paris and Lyon, while the government deployed 70,000 security personnel nationwide.
In a Nutshell
- The Interior Ministry estimated that 146,000 people protested across France on November 7, including 46,000 in Paris, while trade unions put the nationwide figure at 250,000, with 75,000 in the capital.
- Two days earlier, an estimated 575,000 people joined a trade union-organised demonstration, calling for higher wages and better working conditions.
- Around 70,000 security personnel were deployed across France, with Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez warning that authorities would be “ready and waiting” for rioters and looters. Despite a lower turnout than previous protests, police used tear gas and charged at demonstrators in Paris, where footage posted by CLPRESS showed an officer hitting a protester with a baton.
- In Lyon, police fired tear gas to disperse several hundred people blocking a road during an unauthorised gathering.
- The protests began in September as a high school student movement against staff shortages, overcrowded classrooms and deteriorating school facilities. They later expanded to include wider grievances over the cost of living, drawing support from teachers, trade unions and Yellow Vest demonstrators.
Context
The latest demonstrations mark a further expansion of a movement that began with high school students in September. What started as protests over poor school conditions has grown into a wider mobilisation against deteriorating living standards, with workers and trade unions now using the momentum to press for higher wages and better working conditions. Al Jazeera reported that unions, weakened in recent years, see the growing mobilisation as an opportunity to push the government for better pay and facilities. Speaking to Al Jazeera, one railway worker said he had joined both to protest the cost of living and to show support for young people.
So far, the government's response has been to divert the focus to vandalism, looting and clashes, while engaging in repression tactics that have drawn increasing criticism for the use of force against protestors. By October 11, police had arrested nearly 6,900 people, mostly minors. Several students also suffered serious injuries during confrontations with the police, including a 15-year-old who lost his hand following a stun grenade explosion. The government has repeatedly rejected allegations of police repression, while officials have pointed to violence and damage during demonstrations.
The protests are also becoming a decisive issue in determining how candidates fare in the April presidential election. Far-right National Rally candidate Marine Le Pen is currently leading the polls, with far-left France Unbowed candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon in second place. While Le Pen has condemned school vandalism and proposed making parents pay for damage caused by their children, Mélenchon has backed the movement. On Saturday, he presented his programme to around 17,000 supporters, promising to stimulate the economy through consumer spending and redirect “billions [of euros] that already exist” towards France’s “ecological and social needs”.
Why It Matters
While the protests began as a small-scale high school student movement in September, people from every sector, including teachers, workers and trade unions, have joined in. Weeks of consecutive protests have shown that the high cost of living is the common grievance uniting everyone. Each group is asking for an overall improvement in living standards and public facilities.
However, the government has continued to ignore the main demands, instead shifting the focus to allegations of vandalism, which take away from the importance of the protests. It has also continued the pattern of repressive state tactics by deploying around 70,000 security personnel and using tear gas against protesters despite the comparatively low turnout on November 7.
The use of force against demonstrators, including students, has repeatedly drawn criticism throughout the movement.
With the presidential election coming up in April, the protests are also becoming something of a popularity contest for candidates. While Le Pen has echoed the government's focus on vandalism, much like Macron, Mélenchon has backed the movement and its demands. Both candidates will have to contend with the wider discontent over the government's handling of public funds and its failure to improve living standards and public facilities.
What We Think
Until the government shows that it is prepared to sit at the discussion table with protesters and address their demands, the demonstrations are likely to continue. Students, teachers, workers and trade unions have spent weeks on the streets without seeing their concerns addressed, and there is little indication that they are prepared to back down.