France Grinds to a Halt as Unions Lead Mass Strikes Against Austerity
French students block the entrance of a high school in Paris as part of a day of nationwide strikes and protests in France. France faced sweeping disruption on Thursday as hundreds of thousands joined nationwide strikes against government austerity plans. Teachers, train drivers, pharmacists, hospital staff and even high school students walked out, demanding the scrapping of a €44 billion budget-cut package drafted by former prime minister François Bayrou. Public transport was heavily affected, with Paris Metro lines running limited services and regional trains severely reduced. Nine in ten pharmacies closed their doors, while one in three primary school teachers and nearly half of secondary school staff joined the walkout. The protests come amid a political crisis for President Emmanuel Macron and newly appointed Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, who has promised compromises but not ruled out key cuts. Authorities deployed 80,000 police and gendarmes nationwide, warning of potentia...
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