PARIS – Hundreds of thousands protested austerity in France on Thursday, as unions hailed a nationwide mobilisation that piles pressure on newly appointed Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu.
Between 50,000 and 100,000 people took to the streets of Paris to protest against the €44 billion in savings announced this summer by François Bayrou, who recently stepped down as prime minister after losing a confidence vote. Lecornu, who took office on 9 September, has yet to reverse the cuts.
“Today we are sending a very clear warning to the government,” said Marylise Léon, secretary general of the reformist CFDT union, as the march in Paris set off from Place de la Bastille. “The budget cannot be built on the backs of workers.”
It was the first time since the protests against the controversial 2023 pensions reform that all of France’s trade union organisations had called for a general mobilisation. Organisers said that, by late afternoon, more than 260 rallies nationwide had drawn around one million demonstrators. Authorities said there were only half as many.
“We are up to our necks in it. Hospital staff are chronically understaffed, and now we are being asked to make further savings – it’s simply impossible,” said Roseline, a nurse working in Paris.
Stéphanie, a secondary school teacher, joined others in demanding the resignation of President Emmanuel Macron and the taxation of the wealthy, with marchers rallying around slogans that could be summed up in three words: “tax the rich”.
“I’ve heard talk of a new tax that could take money from billionaires. I don’t really know what it is, but I’m in favour,” said Samir, who was attending his first demonstration with friends in Paris.
Many protesters voiced their support for the proposed “Zucman tax” – a 2% levy on assets worth over €100 million, named after the economist Gabriel Zucman. After passing in the lower house of parliament last spring as a Green initiative, the proposal was blocked before summer by the right-dominated Senate.
The Paris march was largely peaceful, but scuffles broke out from around 4:30 pm when police fired tear gas after bottles and smoke flares had been thrown. In response, protesters chanted “everyone hates the police”.
The interior ministry announced that over 80,000 police officers and gendarmes had been deployed across the country, backed by drones and armoured vehicles. By 6 pm, 181 arrests had been made, including 31 in Paris, and 11 police officers had been injured.
Around 100 blockades were set up at schools and on roads in the morning, but most were quickly dismantled. At midday, around 50 protesters briefly gained access to the economy ministry’s courtyard.
(This photos in this report were taken by Laurent Geslin on 18 September 2025.)
(de)