Hundreds of Thousands Strike Across France Over Cost of Living
Public sector workers and students held nationwide strikes and protests across France demanding higher wages and increased education funding.
Hundreds of thousands of public sector workers, students, and activists held nationwide demonstrations and a one-day strike across France on November 5, 2026. Protesters demanded social reforms, increased education funding, and higher wages to combat the rising cost of living. While the Interior Ministry estimated between 575,000 and 600,000 participants, the CGT union claimed 1.6 million people took part.
The strike disrupted the Eiffel Tower, some train services, and roughly 13-15% of schools. While most events remained peaceful, clashes between police and radical activists in Paris, Lyon, Rennes, Marseille, and Nantes led to 448 detentions. In Toulouse, a high school was damaged by arson.
Emmanuel Macron, the President of France, called for a return to calm and expressed a desire for high schools to reopen after the holiday to protect the future of young people. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez defended law enforcement's response to the violence, while Education Minister Edouard Geffray condemned the arson of a high school as criminal behavior. Sophie Binet, head of the CGT union, asserted that the government attempted to block the demonstrations.
The unrest comes five months before a presidential election that Macron cannot contest. Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu is scheduled to meet with workers and employers on November 9 to discuss salary increases.
