French unions showed their muscle Thursday in the streets of Paris and dozens of other cities in the country in the latest expression in a campaign of nationwide industrial action to demand improved pay and working conditions, denounce the increased cost of living, and demand relief from the government from soaring prices.
Around 150-200 demonstrations were announced for the day all over France by the Confederation Generale du Travail (CGT) labor union.
The CGT was behind the multisector one-day strike, which threatened to paralyze the capital’s public transport network.
According to the CGT, 4,000 people took part in the demonstration in Paris, which kicked off at 2 p.m. local time (1300GMT) at the Place de la Republique and ended at Place de la Bastille.
The police and the Interior Ministry put the number of demonstrators in Paris at 2,000-4,000, while there were no riots or scuffles during the protest.
Although there were other protests scattered around France in cities like Lyon or Montpellier, disruptions were heavily concentrated in Paris, where workers of the Regie Autonome des Transports Parisiens (RATP) public transport network have overwhelmingly backed the strike, declaring a Jeudi Noir (Black Thursday) for services. At least half the subway lines were idle and many suburban buses were as well.
Five metro lines were fully closed, and another seven only operated at peak hours. Thursday’s strike came as commuters have grown increasingly angry with Paris public transport, with services still reduced since the COVID-19 pandemic started although traffic levels have broadly returned to pre-pandemic levels.
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