Demonstrators at more than 240 locations across France planned new protests and strikes yesterday, demanding that the government abandon the announced budget cuts, the General Confederation of Labour (CGT) union said.
President Emmanuel Macron and newly appointed Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu, who is still working on forming a cabinet, are under pressure to rein in finances in the eurozone’s second-largest economy.
However, union leaders, including those from the hardline CGT and France’s largest union CFDT, are calling for greater investment in public services, higher taxes for the rich, and the reversal of changes to state pensions.
“First of all, we want to know who will make up the government… And then we want to know what the budget will be, and if there are budget cuts, we obviously will not allow that to go through,” said CGT General Secretary Sophie Binet.
Students with torches had blocked the entrance to a high school in Paris, with police present at the scene, as the protests began.
New protests are expected in Paris and other cities, including Dijon, Metz, Poitiers, and Montpellier.
Around 76.000 police officers will be deployed, of which about 5.000 in the Paris region, said Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau.
The government had already faced protests and strikes in September, when hundreds of thousands of people, including teachers, train drivers, pharmacists, and hospital staff, protested against the proposed 2026 budget, while teenagers blocked dozens of high schools for hours.
France’s budget deficit last year was almost twice the European Union (EU) limit of 3%. Lecornu will now face a tough battle to secure parliamentary support for the 2026 budget.
Political parties mostly agree that the deficit, which reached 5.8% of GDP in 2024, needs to be reduced, but they disagree on how to achieve it.
His predecessor, Francois Bayrou, was dismissed in parliament on September 8th over a savings plan of 44 billion euros. Lecornu has not yet said what he will do with Bayrou’s plans.
