France Strike: Hundreds of Thousands March, Saturday Protests Next
On November 5, 2026, protesters marched in cities across France as unions staged a general strike. A general strike is a work stoppage called across many industries at once. Official figures put the number of people who joined the protests at 575,000, according to Al Jazeera. Organizers claimed 1.6 million, as Reuters reported.
In Paris, striking teachers, hospital staff and rail workers joined high school and university students in demonstrations, according to The Guardian. The General Confederation of Labour, known as the CGT, one of France's main trade unions, estimated that 350,000 people took part in the Paris marches, as Le Monde reported. Authorities said about 14,000 people marched in Marseille.
Clashes were limited but reported in several cities. French police fired tear gas in Paris and Lyon, Al Jazeera and CNN reported. CNN also reported scuffles in Nantes. The strike had visible effects beyond the streets: the Eiffel Tower was shut, and nuclear power output was trimmed, Reuters reported.
The November 5 action is the latest in a series of mobilizations this autumn. In October, five major unions, the CFDT, CGT, FO, Unsa and FSU, issued a joint call to strike and join demonstrations. On October 25, French authorities said 410,000 people had marched in Saturday protests that month, and Reuters reported that protest groups were calling for more rallies. Estimates for the October 31 protests in major French cities ranged from 320,000 to 500,000, according to Le Monde.
Further protests were scheduled for Saturday, November 7. Le Monde reported that about 70,000 police officers and gendarmes, the national military police, were to be mobilized for the day. It described the event as the fourth Saturday of mobilization this season. In Paris, members of the gilets jaunes, or "yellow vests," movement kept their call for a rally at the Place de la Concorde, a square in central Paris. The Paris police prefecture, the force's regional headquarters, had banned that rally, Le Monde reported.
