Protests erupt across France after left-wing groups call for mobilization
According to Fox News, France deployed 70,000 police officers on Thursday as tens of thousands of people took to the streets for nationwide strikes and protests after left-wing groups called for a mobilization. An official close to Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez stated that around 270,000 people had joined the union action in 180 rallies outside the capital by early Thursday. In Paris, the Eiffel Tower was closed, in Lyon riot police fired tear gas, and near Toulouse a high school was set on fire, according to Reuters. Sophie Binet, head of the left-wing CGT union, called for a large turnout. Main French unions warned that the country is on the brink of recession, noting that fuel, food, rent, gas, and electricity prices are rising while wages and pensions are not. The U.S. Embassy issued an urgent security alert for Americans in France ahead of the demonstrations, which coincide with heating campaigns to succeed President Emmanuel Macron next May.