Clashes erupt in France as ‘Black Thursday’ protests sweep the nation

Around 250 rallies against rising living costs had been planned in cities and towns across the country and hundreds of thousands of people would likely turn out, unions said before the events kicked off.

France’s main unions, including the CGT and CNT representing public and private sector workers, and the UNEF, representing students, warned the government of President Emmanuel Macron’s that the country was on the brink or recession.

“Everything is going up except wages and pensions,” they said in a joint statement. “Anger is immense.”

“The situation in this country is fragile. The pressing social and environmental challenges must be addressed without delay,” the statement added.

The movement grew from a student protest over staff shortages at the Antoine de Saint-Exupéry High School in Créteil, a southeastern suburb of Paris. Videos of the blockade spread on social media, and soon protests expanded to high schools across the nation.

As the movement grew, the list of grievances expanded beyond the failings of the public school system to encompass broader economic, political and social dissatisfaction. Soon, university students, teachers, parents and politicians also joined.