France Protests Draw at Least 600,000 as Unions Oppose Cuts
At least 600,000 people joined demonstrations across France on Thursday, according to the government, as unions protested living costs and public-service cuts…
France protests draw 250,000 is the focus of demonstrations that brought at least 600,000 people into the streets across France on Thursday, as unions opposed living costs and cuts to public services. The government’s proposed 2027 budget had been rejected unanimously by the National Assembly the previous evening, deepening a dispute over spending and the country’s finances.
The turnout estimates differed sharply. The government said at least 600,000 people took part, while the CGT trade union put the number at almost 1.6 million. Police deployed 70,000 officers as teachers, hospital staff, rail workers and students joined rallies in Paris and other cities.
The demonstrations were largely peaceful, though riot police fired tear gas in Bordeaux and Lyon. The marches put pressure on Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu’s government as it seeks approval for spending cuts in a divided parliament.
Why did the National Assembly reject the budget?
Lawmakers voted unanimously against adopting the government’s 2027 budget plans on Wednesday evening. No party holds a majority in the National Assembly, making agreement on fiscal policy difficult.
The government is seeking to reduce the deficit and reassure traders in French government bonds. Lecornu said in September that he was targeting spending cuts worth 54 billion euros ($61.8 billion). The rejected proposal arrives as public spending, living costs and funding for services have become central issues in protests across the country.
France’s budget deficit measured 5.1% of gross domestic product in 2025, while national debt stood at 115.6% of GDP that year. Rising borrowing costs have added pressure on government finances and bond markets.
The rejection does not settle how the budget will be adopted. Successive governments have used Article 49.3 of the constitution to push budgets through without a parliamentary vote since a snap election in 2024 produced a hung parliament. Lecornu secured the 2026 budget using that route after François Bayrou was ousted as prime minister.
The government could also pass a budget by ordinance, a step never taken in the French Fifth Republic, which was created in 1958. If a government is removed after using that power, the budget it imposed would remain in place.
Public services and education at the centre of protests
Workers and students said the proposed reductions would affect services they rely on. France’s four main rail unions said the cuts would “worsen poverty, slash social security, freeze state workers’ salaries and dry up investment needed for environmental measures”.
School students continued to blockade campuses over crowded classes and deteriorating buildings. The government said 81 high schools were affected on Thursday; students’ unions put the figure at 1,000. The government also said a third of higher education sites were affected by blockades.
The dispute has direct consequences for people who depend on schools, hospitals and rail services. A psychiatric nurse at a Paris demonstration said hospital cuts were affecting work with patients and described staff as overworked and fatigued. A social worker, Rebecca, said demonstrators wanted funding for public services as well as an end to what she called a severe police response.
Police prevented schoolchildren from setting up barricades outside high schools in Paris. In the east of the city, officers used tear gas to stop students accessing Hélène Boucher high school. Authorities also faced criticism from rights groups over restrictions on demonstrations and policing.
The French Human Rights League said this week there had been an “authoritarian shift” to stifle “any dissenting voice”. CGT head Sophie Binet also criticised the government, saying: “We’re living at a very serious time, with a very dangerous authoritarian drift from the government.”
The protests have followed weeks of student demonstrations over education funding, with workers joining recurring rallies. A previous wave of unrest included riots and looting in late October, and the damage was estimated at more than 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion).
With the budget rejected and lawmakers divided, the government faces pressure to find a route to spending cuts while demonstrations challenge the effects on household costs and public services. The government’s turnout estimate for Thursday’s rallies was at least 600,000 people.
