France braces for mass strike and protests on Thursday
Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to join protests across French cities on Thursday, with public-sector workers walking off the job at the same time. French authorities estimate 500,000 to 700,000 demonstrators nationwide, including up to 80,000 in Paris. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez has ordered about 70,000 police and security forces to be deployed. Education, rail, hospital and postal unions are striking, and the Education Ministry expects 17.5 per cent of public primary teachers to stop work. Unions are demanding a higher minimum wage, across-the-board pay rises, tax reforms and better learning conditions. Ahead of the protests, President Emmanuel Macron convened a defence and security meeting on Wednesday.
Key facts
- The minimum wage has not received any discretionary increase since 2012.
- The strike is expected to cut France's nuclear output by 2.4 gigawatts early on Thursday.
- Earlier protests on 17 October led to some of the worst rioting France has seen in years.
- Riots and looting on 17 October damaged shops and public buildings across the country.
- An attempted murder investigation was opened after petrol bombs were thrown at security forces in Paris on Saturday.
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Why it matters
Large-scale action by unions and public workers could disrupt schools, transport, health services and power output across France.
What changed
First published from Anadolu Agency, The Guardian, The Straits Times, Asharq Al-Awsat and Bangkok Post