France: 140k People Rally in Paris, Raging Against Skyrocketing Prices

By Staff, Agencies

Tens of thousands of people rally in the French capital, shouting their frustration at soaring cost of living amid an ongoing refinery strike across the country that has caused fuel prices to shot up.

The huge protest that took place on Sunday had been called by the left-wing political opposition and led by the head of the France Unbowed [LFI] party, Jean-Luc Melenchon, AFP reported.

"Organizers claimed 140,000 people" attended the march, but police said "there were 30,000," the agency said.

The law enforcement confronted the protesters with teargas canisters and baton charges. Some protesters were seen wearing yellow vests reminiscent of the monumental protests that rocked the country in 2018.

Work stoppage has hit four of France's seven refineries, knocking around a third of the country's petrol stations out of service. Budget Minister Gabriel Attal has denounced the continuation of the strikes as "unacceptable."

The organizers are, however, hoping to build a momentum for a general strike, with Melenchon choosing the upcoming Tuesday for the protest action. Several unions have already encouraged a strike targeting road transport, trains, and the public sector.

"We're going to have a week the likes of which we don't see very often," Melenchon told the crowd. "Everything is coming together. We are starting it with this march, which is an immense success."

"It's time to wake up," said Christopher Savidan, an LFI activist. "The people at the top are out of touch. We pay taxes – we don't know why. Everything is going down the drain."

France's prime minister warned striking oil industry workers Sunday that the government might use its powers to force workers back to their posts to ease fuel shortages.

Elisabeth Borne told TF1 television that if the situation remained tense Monday, then the authorities would proceed with more requisitions like the ones enforced last week.