France Act IV Protests Draw 146,000, Interior Ministry Says

Trade unions and student groups marched across France on Saturday, November 7, in a fourth weekend of protests over the rising cost of living. The Interior Ministry put the national turnout at 146,000 people. A youth union coalition put the figure at 250,000, including 75,000 in Paris.

The day, billed as Act IV by organisers, followed the biggest protest day of the autumn on Thursday, November 5. Marches ran in cities across the country. Prefecture and press counts put turnout at 10,000 in Lille, 9,100 in Bordeaux, about 6,000 in Rennes, 6,000 in Grenoble and 5,200 in Marseille. In Bordeaux, the march called by the CGT, FSU and FO unions set off at 2 p.m. from the Place de la Bourse and walked to the Place de la Victoire. Local reports described tension at the end of marches in Bordeaux, Rennes, Brest and Angers.

In Paris, unions and student groups held an authorised march against the high cost of living and in support of young people. Yellow Vest supporters held a separate rally at the Place de la Concorde, a few hundred metres from the National Assembly and the Elysee Palace, after authorities banned demonstrations in that area. Police said they had carried out more than 840 identity checks at railway stations across Paris and its suburbs by late Saturday morning.

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said 70,000 police officers and gendarmes were deployed across the country for the day. "If there are any rioters or looters, we'll be ready and waiting for them," he said ahead of the marches.

Why it matters

The protests began in late September over conditions in schools and have grown into a wider movement over wages, purchasing power and public services. The unions want an increase in the minimum wage, which has not had a discretionary boost since 2012, across the board wage rises, tax reforms and better learning conditions for young people. Thursday's strike day set the scale the government now has to answer: the Interior Ministry counted 575,000 demonstrators at 193 events that day, while the CGT counted 1,573,000 people in 207 cities.

Saturday's turnout was lower than Thursday's, which is normal for a weekend march after a national strike day. The political question is whether the movement holds its numbers until the government talks produce something concrete.

What happens next

Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu is due to meet union leaders and employer representatives on Monday, November 9, to discuss wages and purchasing power. Student and teacher groups have also called another strike for Tuesday, November 10, to demand more education spending. Both sides now have a date to point at, and Saturday's crowds suggest the unions will arrive at the table with their movement still on the street.