On October 2, 2025, France found itself at the center of a nationwide wave of protests as unions, grassroots organizations, and civic activists rallied against proposed austerity measures and looming budget cuts. The day was marked by a palpable sense of urgency and uncertainty, with at least 300,000 demonstrators expected to take to the streets in major cities such as Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Nantes, Dijon, Metz, Poitiers, and Montpellier, according to France24. The protests came just as Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu, newly appointed and still piecing together his cabinet, faced mounting pressure to unveil a budget proposal that could shape the country’s financial future.
The backdrop to these demonstrations was a France already on edge. President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Lecornu were under intense scrutiny from both the public and political opponents to rein in the nation’s finances. The euro zone’s second largest economy had seen its budget deficit swell to 5.8% of GDP in 2024—almost double the European Union’s 3% ceiling, as reported by Free Malaysia Today. The proposed 2026 budget, which was at the heart of the protests, promised to be contentious, with parties agreeing on the need to address the deficit but sharply divided over how to achieve it.
Union leaders, particularly from the hardline CGT and France’s largest union, the CFDT, made their demands unmistakably clear. They called for increased spending on public services, higher taxes on the wealthy, and a reversal of recent changes to state pensions. Sophie Binet, secretary general of the CGT, voiced these concerns bluntly in an interview with BFM TV: “First of all, what we want to know is who the government will be … And then we want to know what the budget will be, and if there are any setbacks in the budget, obviously we won’t let it pass.”
The October 2 action was the latest in a series of escalating protests. Just weeks earlier, on September 18, hundreds of thousands—including teachers, train drivers, pharmacists, and hospital staff—had poured into the streets to express their discontent with the government’s direction. That round of protests also saw teenagers blocking dozens of high schools for hours, a sign that frustration had spread far beyond traditional labor strongholds. On this most recent Thursday, students were once again at the forefront, blocking the entrance to a Paris high school and lighting flares as police looked on, according to Free Malaysia Today.
Despite the scale of the mobilization, the disruption to daily life was less severe than some previous strikes. According to Bloomberg, walkouts were planned in the education and transport sectors but were expected to be less disruptive than those on September 18. Air traffic disruptions were largely confined to Paris Beauvais airport, which reduced its flight schedules, while high-speed trains and the Paris metro were expected to run normally. Even the French rail freight sector, which participated in a 24-hour national strike demanding the end of austerity measures, saw little impact on its operations, industry sources told RailFreight.com.
The government, keenly aware of the potential for unrest, deployed a massive police presence to maintain order. Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau told BFM TV that around 76,000 police officers were stationed across the country, with about 5,000 in the Paris region alone. This show of force underscored the seriousness with which authorities viewed the protests, especially in light of the government’s recent political turmoil.
Indeed, the political context added another layer of complexity to the day’s events. Prime Minister Lecornu had only recently taken office after his predecessor, Francois Bayrou, was ousted by parliament on September 8, 2025. Bayrou’s downfall came amid fierce opposition to his plan for a €44 billion (US$51.70 billion) budget squeeze—a plan that many in parliament and on the streets saw as too draconian. As of October 2, Lecornu had not yet revealed whether he would embrace, modify, or abandon Bayrou’s proposals, leaving both supporters and critics in suspense.
The uncertainty over the government’s direction fueled the protests. Many demonstrators saw the proposed austerity measures as a threat not only to their livelihoods but also to the broader social contract that has long defined French society. The nationwide strike was called by France’s eight biggest workers unions under the banner of “social justice,” a rallying cry that resonated with a broad swath of the population, from public sector employees to students and retirees.
The protests also reflected deeper anxieties about the state of French democracy and civil liberties. Alongside concerns about spending cuts and pension reforms, many demonstrators cited what they saw as encroachments on civil liberties, adding another dimension to the opposition against the government. The sense of solidarity among the various groups—unions, students, civic activists—was palpable, with coordinated actions in cities large and small.
While the demonstrations were largely peaceful, the heavy police presence and the government’s cautious approach suggested that authorities were bracing for the possibility of escalation. The memory of previous protest movements, such as the “Yellow Vests,” loomed large, reminding both officials and citizens of how quickly public discontent can flare into broader unrest.
As the day unfolded, the government’s challenge became clear: how to balance the urgent need for fiscal discipline with the equally pressing demand for social justice. The fact that France’s budget deficit had ballooned to historic levels made some form of adjustment inevitable, but the path forward was anything but straightforward. Parties across the political spectrum agreed on the need to reduce the deficit but remained deeply divided over the details—whether to cut spending, raise taxes, or pursue a mix of both. The ousting of Bayrou and Lecornu’s cautious stance only added to the sense of political limbo.
For many on the streets, the stakes felt existential. The fight over the budget was about more than numbers on a balance sheet; it was about the future of the French welfare state, the quality of public services, and the distribution of economic burdens. The unions’ demands for more spending on public services and higher taxes on the wealthy captured a widespread sentiment that the costs of adjustment should not fall disproportionately on ordinary citizens.
As dusk settled over France on October 2, one thing was certain: the debate over austerity, social justice, and the future of the French economy was far from over. The day’s protests, while less disruptive than some feared, sent a clear message to the government: any attempt to push through unpopular budget measures would face stiff resistance from a mobilized and determined public.
The coming weeks will test whether Prime Minister Lecornu can forge a consensus around a budget that addresses the deficit without igniting further unrest. For now, the voices from the streets have made it clear that the path forward will be anything but easy.
