Hundreds of thousands march in nationwide strike in France as government backs austerity budget

Hundreds of thousands of protesters are expected to take part in major demonstrations across France on Thursday to defend wages and jobs. The country braces for a nationwide strike day involving trade unions, the yellow vest movement, students and workers from various sectors. France's Interior Minister, Laurent Nunez, gave details on the police security arrangements. We mobilise again 70,000 police and gendarmes on the entire national territory. The same volume of mobile forces is also mobilized for this day, that is to say 110 mobile forces that are mobilized throughout the national territory. On the end, trade unions and rights groups have condemned what they described as excessive policing and authoritarian measures aimed at restricting protests. The mobilization comes a day after French lawmakers rejected the first part of the 2027 budget bill. France has faced weeks of protests, sparked by students' demonstrations which began in mid-September, against overcrowded classrooms and teacher shortages. The movement has since broadened in scope with trade unions protesting against the cost of lean crisis and rising...