600,000 Join France Protests Against Austerity Budget

The French Interior Ministry put attendance at the demonstrations at 600,000, Bloomberg reported. Nearly 10% of public servants were on strike, including almost 16% of teachers, according to the Ministry of Public Action and Accounts, as cited by The New York Times.

Unions have condemned the budget proposed by President Emmanuel Macron’s government, saying it targets vulnerable and ill people, freezes social benefits and weakens the social security system. Sophie Binet, head of the General Confederation of Labor, said France needed to reduce its deficit but should restore taxes on the wealthiest individuals and largest companies to fund public services.

The protests began in September, when students blockaded schools over staffing shortages, deteriorating buildings and a widely criticized university application system. Demonstrators’ concerns have since broadened to include living costs and high fuel prices. Thursday’s rallies were largely peaceful, in contrast with violence at some earlier demonstrations; in Paris, the Orchestre du Nouveau Monde performed at Place de la République.

Antonia Barot, 27, told The New York Times she joined because of the government’s “disregard for young people’s and workers’ living conditions.” “We need to realize how powerful we are,” she said. Florence Eliakine, 61, said the protests should alert the government to a social and ecological crisis.

Gaëlle Martinez, national secretary of the Solidaires union, told France 24: “People just want to live, not survive.” She called for a new budget that taxes the largest and richest companies and removes proposed cuts to vital programs.