The key facts

  • The actions took place on November 5 across France; the Interior Ministry estimates 575,000 participants, the CGT 1.6 million
  • The unions demand a 100-euro increase in the minimum wage after taxes
  • Hundreds of people were detained; 86 arsons and attacks on schools in several cities were recorded

Mass demonstrations demanding higher wages

On November 5, large-scale demonstrations took place in major French cities demanding an increase in the minimum wage. According to the country's Interior Ministry, about 575,000 people took part in the actions; the country's largest trade union, the CGT, estimates the number of participants at 1.6 million. The protests swept the entire country, reports Kun.uz.

The unions' demand and the current minimum wage

The trade unions are demanding an increase in the minimum wage by 100 euros after taxes. Marylise Leon, head of the French Democratic Confederation of Labour (CFDT), called for such an increase. CGT leader Sophie Binet stated: 'France is the European country where the minimum wage has grown the least over the past 10 years. We have become a country with low pay.'

Context: how low the French minimum wage is

Currently, the minimum hourly wage in France before taxes is 12.31 euros; with a 35-hour working week, that is about 1,867 euros per month. For comparison, in Germany the minimum hourly wage will rise to 14.60 euros from January 2027. This supports the unions' argument that the French minimum lags noticeably behind that of the neighboring country, although the sources do not provide data on how the government will respond to the demand.

Riots and detentions

The Interior Ministry reported that in Marseille, Nantes, Lyon, Bordeaux and Strasbourg, groups of 'radical left-wing extremists' attacked police; 86 cases of arson were recorded across the country. According to the dpa agency, in Toulouse rioters set fire to a school building, wrecked classrooms and burned computers. In La Courneuve near Paris, a young man stabbed a schoolboy who was taking part in an action to blockade a school; in Lille, after the entrance of an educational institution was set on fire, an evacuation was required. The ministry also reported serious damage to schools and injuries among staff of educational institutions.

What is known about those detained

According to initial reports, hundreds of people have been detained across the country. The German edition of DW reported more than 400 detentions at the large protests in France; the exact number of detentions specifically on November 5 is not specified in available publications. For comparison: at the end of October, during the previous mass actions against the rising cost of living and the unsatisfactory state of the education system, almost a thousand people were detained.