Hundreds of thousands of protesters rallied across France on Thursday, as unions launched strikes and demonstrations to oppose planned budget cuts, demanding President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu scrap austerity plans and boost public services.

Teachers, train drivers, pharmacists, and hospital workers walked off the job, while students blocked dozens of high schools. Protests targeted the previous government's fiscal proposals, calling for increased spending on public services, higher taxes on the wealthy, and reversal of pension reforms extending working years.

CGT union leader Sophie Binet urged Lecornu to let "the streets decide the budget," estimating 1 million participants, though authorities reported around 500,000.

The actions disrupted services, with one in three primary teachers striking nationwide and nearly half in Paris, per FSU-SNUipp. Regional trains faced major delays, though high-speed TGVs mostly operated. Demonstrations slowed traffic near Toulon, and in Paris, police used tear gas against black-clad agitators throwing objects, arresting over 180 people amid 80,000 officers deployed.

Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau noted most events proceeded peacefully, with minor clashes in Nantes and Lyon injuring three.

France's deficit neared twice the EU's 3% limit last year, pressuring Macron amid divided parliament, left-wing opposition to cuts, and investor concerns over the euro zone's second-largest economy.