France entered a second day of nationwide disruption on Tuesday. An estimated 413 high schools were disrupted Monday according to the education ministry, after student groups called for blocking up to 1,800 schools and 57 university sites. Tuesday’s demonstrations were reported in Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Bordeaux, with an interior-ministry official putting morning turnout at about 90,000 participants, a partial count that will rise as afternoon marches conclude.
The labor action is spreading into energy infrastructure. Workers at TotalEnergies fuel stations and French refineries set a strike for Thursday despite management offering a 1,000 euro bonus. That follows a September 29 round of union protests that drew roughly one million participants by union estimates, establishing this as the largest sustained strike wave of the current government.
The political driver remains the budget. The government’s fiscal consolidation attempt faces unions and student groups in the streets, limiting room for pension, spending or tax measures without concessions. The market read is already visible in bonds: the 10-year OAT rallied 8bp Tuesday as energy prices fell, but the spread to Bunds sits near 130bp, well above pre-crisis levels.