France Engulfed in Mass Protests Over Budget Cuts

On Thursday, France experienced widespread strikes and protests, featuring teachers, train drivers, pharmacists, and hospital staff, as well as teenagers blocking high schools, to oppose impending budget cuts. Unions demand previous fiscal plans be discarded and advocate for increased public spending, higher taxes on the wealthy, and the reversal of an unpopular pension reform.

Disruption hit Paris, with many metro lines halting services outside rush hours. High school students blocked school entrances, wielding placards like the one seen at Lycee Maurice Ravel that read "Block your high school against austerity." This social unrest comes as President Macron, alongside newly appointed Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu, battles a political crisis over fiscal control in Europe's second-largest economy.

The Interior Ministry predicts up to 800,000 participants in the protests. Unions express anger and refusal to accept past government fiscal policies, labeled as "brutal" and "unfair." New political leader Lecornu faces a challenge to gain parliamentary support for the 2026 budget after his predecessor's plan led to parliamentary ousting. Tens of thousands of police, including riot units and drones, are deployed due to potential clashes.

(With inputs from agencies.)