448 arrested, 53 police officers injured in France protests

French authorities have reported 448 arrests and 53 injured police officers as hundreds of thousands of people joined nationwide protests on Thursday over wages and the rising cost of living.

The Interior Ministry said its tally as of 0600 PM local time also included 86 fire incidents. Authorised marches were largely peaceful, it said, although tensions flared in Paris, Lyon, Rennes and Toulouse.

The ministry estimated that 575,000 people took part across France, including 65,000 in Paris, revising down an earlier provisional figure of nearly 600,000. The CGT union put nationwide turnout at nearly 1.6 million, with 350,000 in the capital.

CGT Secretary-General Sophie Binet described the strike as “extremely effective” and urged the government to respond to workers’ demands.

“Nothing will stop us,” she said at the Paris demonstration, calling for wage increases for all workers and a 10 percent rise in the minimum wage.

Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu announced that a “social conference” with trade unions and employers’ organisations would take place at Matignon on Monday, according to a government statement.

Schools and universities disrupted

The nationwide strike also disrupted schools and universities.

The Higher Education Ministry reported disruptions at 60 of 184 institutions, while the SNES-FSU union said 52 percent of middle and high school staff joined the strike.

Police intervened against student blockades in several cities, including Paris and Bordeaux, local media reported.

The protests come amid a student movement that began in mid-September over education conditions, funding, and staffing.

___

Source: TRT