Hundreds of thousands took the streets across France on Saturday, once again denouncing austerity and the cost of living crisis, defying curfews and protest bans in doing so. After last weekend’s protests – which saw the participation of roughly 800,000 people – the French government announced the intention to deploy troops to “guard” Saturday’s demonstrations. This institutional response has been heavily criticized by progressive forces that joined students on the streets. As Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu’s administration insisted on framing the mobilization exclusively as a security issue, left forces denounced the strategy for failing to address concrete issues. In a joint statement released before this weekend’s protest, dozens of trade unionists, advocates, and cultural workers warned, “We are witnessing an authoritarian shift that goes hand in hand with the government’s stubborn refusal to own up to its record and to call into question its unjust policy in favor of the wealthiest." CGT Union estimated nearly 800,000 total attended protests across France on Saturday, including 250,000 in Paris.

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