Hundreds of thousands protest across France over high cost of living

Hundreds of thousands of workers have gone on strike and joined marches across France to demand higher wages, in a new escalation after weeks of protests against the rising cost of living, with police firing tear gas as violence broke out in some cities.

About 600,000 people took part in nearly 200 demonstrations across the country on Thursday, according to the Ministry of the Interior, before a major march began in the capital, Paris.
Those striking are demanding an increase in the minimum wage, higher salaries for all workers, tax reforms and better conditions in schools.

Education, rail, hospital and postal unions called strikes, and the Ministry of National Education said about 16 percent of teachers were on strike.

The Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe were closed for the day. CGT union leader Sophie Binet told the Paris rally that the question was not whether workers would win but “how much we’re going to win”.
France has seen regular protests since September, when students began demonstrating against poor conditions at public high schools.

The movement has since merged with wider anger about the cost of living and inequality, which led to the worst rioting in years on October 17. The government reported blockades at 81 of 3,700 high schools, and a student association said classes were suspended at 1,000.

At the protest in the northern city of Lille, Hugo, a history student, told Al Jazeera that he was angry about the social situation in France.
“The workers are angry that wages are too low, life is getting more and more expensive and in the universities and high schools, we can feel the lack of public services. So, there is a common anger in the country, and that’s why I am here today. I’m angry about this social situation,” he said.

“There is money in the society, but it’s in the hands of a small group of people, and we have to fight to change the situation,” he added.

In the capital, Paris, Jack Eisner, a student at Sciences Po, told Al Jazeera that people are protesting because they feel like their “future is at stake”.

“Whether it’s the environmental crisis, whether it’s war, it’s just getting harder and harder to find a job and an education,” he said. “I think a lot of younger people feel the same way and a lot of older people too with the rising prices of goods and fuel.”