French unions, students take to streets again over wages, cost of living

France's major labor unions and student groups returned to the streets Thursday (local time) to protest deteriorating public services and soaring prices.

Strikes demanding wage increases and protesting the rising cost of living were underway in major cities including Lyon, Marseille and Nantes, according to reports by the AP, AFP and Reuters. The main demonstration in the capital was set to begin in the afternoon at Place de la République in Paris.

Sophie Binet, secretary-general of the General Confederation of Labor, told LCI TV that people needed to "take to the streets in large numbers today," adding that 260 rallies were scheduled across the country.

High school students again blockaded school entrances across the country, with hundreds of schools closing fully or partially.

Teachers also joined the strike. The Ministry of Education said it expected 17.5 percent of public elementary school teachers to walk out.

Domestic intelligence services estimated that 500,000 to 700,000 people would attend rallies outside Paris. Three previous large-scale weekend demonstrations drew 550,000, 410,000 and 320,000 participants respectively, according to police estimates.

A banner at the Lyon rally read: "High school students, pensioners, students, workers — all together. United we win." Some demonstrators wore masks or goggles in anticipation of police tear gas.

In Marseille, young protesters carried a banner reading "Generation Z fights back."

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said 70,000 police officers had been deployed, along with armored vehicles, drones and helicopters, mirroring the security measures taken at previous weekend protests.

Major unions issued a joint statement warning that France was on the brink of recession and that layoff plans were mounting. "Fuel, food, rent, gas, electricity — everything is going up," the statement said. "Wages and pensions alone are not."

"The anger is enormous," the unions said, urging the government to act without delay. "The country is in a fragile state. Social and environmental challenges must be addressed immediately."

With the presidential election less than six months away, the Emmanuel Macron government has struggled to mount a strong response to the spreading protests amid growing fiscal instability and deep political divisions.

Macron convened a defense and security council meeting on Wednesday, the day before the demonstrations.

A close aide to Macron told Reuters that the goal for the coming weeks was "to calm the overflow and begin the presidential election under the most peaceful conditions possible."