At least 58 people have been detained in France during the general strike called by the unions to protest against the budget adjustment proposed by the previous government. This Thursday morning, arrests were reported in several cities, such as Marseille, where 22 arrests were carried out in the Joliette neighborhood, and in Toulouse, where several people attempted to block the train tracks. The arrests also spread to Paris, where students from the Maurice Ravel high school blocked access to the school. The local prefecture indicated that this climate of tension was anticipated, with the Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau mobilizing 80,000 police officers to maintain order.
The leader of the General Confederation of Labour (CGT), Sophie Binet, has urged broad participation in more than 260 nationwide marches, stressing that they have never been in such a position of strength. Binet highlighted the vulnerability of the new prime minister, Sébastien Lecornu, and the need to press for the withdrawal of the controversial budget bill, which includes significant cuts such as the freezing of social benefits and the elimination of public holidays. The adjustment plan aims to reduce the deficit, which this year is projected at 5.4% of GDP, a context that the unions consider unsustainable without social justice measures.
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