France Erupts: Nationwide Protests Demand Fair Budget Amidst Government Tension

France witnessed massive anti-austerity protests on Thursday as hundreds of thousands took to the streets, urging President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu to reconsider planned budget cuts.

The protests saw widespread participation, with teachers, train drivers, and hospital staff joining the strike, while teenagers briefly blocked numerous high schools. Union leaders demand the reversal of the previous administration's unpopular fiscal policies, advocating for increased public service funding and higher taxes on the wealthy.

The strikes and marches, which involved an estimated one million participants according to union figures, put pressure on Lecornu, who is challenged with drafting a new budget amidst a politically divided Parliament. The demonstrations led to scattered clashes, arrests, and transport disruptions across the country.

(With inputs from agencies.)