Workers across France walked out on Thursday after union calls for action, with hundreds of thousands expected to protest over pay and living costs, Al Jazeera reports. Demonstrators gathered in Marseille, Lyon and Nantes in the morning, with a Paris rally due at 13:00 GMT. Organisers foresaw protests in about 260 places, and the education ministry expected 16% of teachers to strike.
Demands include a higher minimum wage, broader pay rises, tax changes and better school conditions after weeks of student protests. President Emmanuel Macron held a security meeting to keep order ahead of the marches; Reuters said riot police used tear gas in Lyon. A planned G7 foreign ministers’ meeting was moved from Marseille to Paris after six weeks of unrest, diplomats told Reuters.
Source: Al Jazeera