Mass protests across France erupt into clashes with police

Photo — Mathias Reding / Pexels

The demonstrations began over staffing shortages and school funding before expanding into a broader protest against deteriorating living standards. The Interior Ministry reported 410,000 participants nationwide, while the CGT union estimated nearly 800,000. The Paris march was initially peaceful but turned violent near its endpoint, where masked protesters threw objects and fireworks at police. The scale of the mobilization and the arrests make the unrest a major test of Macron’s authority ahead of France’s May elections.

Sources: Associated Press, Euronews