France Deploys 70,000 Police as Debt Crisis Sparks Protests
The French government deployed 70,000 security forces to manage nationwide protests over wages and public debt while relocating a G7 meeting to Paris.
Tens of thousands of protesters marched across France on November 7, marking the fourth consecutive weekend of unrest driven by demands for higher wages and improved public services. While trade unions and students held authorized marches, the Yellow Vests movement called for mass disobedience and a banned rally at Place de la Concorde in Paris. In response, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez deployed 70,000 security personnel nationwide to prevent a repeat of the arson and looting seen on October 17.
The unrest coincides with severe economic instability, with France's public debt reaching approximately 120% of its GDP. To quell youth-led strikes, the government proposed spending €5 billion on school and university renovations, though critics argue the state cannot afford the expenditure as interest payments are projected to reach €132 billion by 2030. Due to these operational concerns, the government relocated a high-level G7 foreign ministers' meeting from Marseille to Paris.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu is scheduled to meet with unions and employers on November 9 to discuss purchasing power and wages. These demonstrations occur five months before presidential elections, with polls currently favoring far-right candidate Marine Le Pen. Meanwhile, hard-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon suggested the destruction of government bonds held by the central bank to address the debt crisis.
