The message on many signs was clear: "Tax the rich," "There's no real trickle-down," "Abolish privileges," "The Zucman tax, now," "Empty the pockets of the rich to fill the hole in social security." Many in France want a political course correction, seeking a new distribution of wealth and more tax justice.

And the power struggle with the government is now fully underway. Eight days after an initial show of force with the Block Everything movement, which brought together around 200,000 people, it was the inter-union coalition's turn to call for mobilization against "austerity" on Thursday, September 18. This was the first such call since 2023 and the pension reform. For Sébastien Lecornu, who was appointed prime minister on September 9, it was the second day of demonstrations in a single week.

More than 250 rallies were held throughout France. The Interior Ministry counted more than 500,000 demonstrators nationwide, while the CGT claimed "over a million." Provincial marches drew between 8,800 and 35,000 people in Bordeaux, depending on whether the authorities or unions were counting, between 14,000 and 20,000 in Lyon, 1,800 to 3,000 in La Rochelle, 15,000 to 120,000 in Marseille, and 18,000 to 40,000 in Toulouse.

Despite some tensions with law enforcement, particularly in Paris, the day was mostly peaceful. According to Place Beauvau (the Interior Ministry), which deployed a major security operation with more than 80,000 police officers and gendarmes, around 181 people were arrested, including 31 in Paris.

You have 85.95% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.