Teachers, transport staff, pharmacists, hospital workers and students in France staged strikes and blockades against the government’s planned budget cuts.

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets across France on Thursday, mounting nationwide strikes and protests against President Emmanuel Macron’s plan to cut €44 billion from next year’s budget. The demonstrations disrupted transport networks, blocked key roads, and highlighted growing anger over austerity measures that unions say will hit low- and middle-income workers the hardest.

Major trade unions spearheaded the walkouts, calling on the government to withdraw proposals that freeze social spending and slash public services. Protesters argued the reforms would deepen economic hardship at a time when many are already struggling to make ends meet. “We’re fed up with being taxed like crazy and barely making it through the month,” said Samuel Gaillard, a garbage truck driver who joined the demonstrations.

The unrest marks the first major test for newly appointed Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu, tasked with steering the budget cuts through parliament after his predecessor, Francois Bayrou, was ousted for failing to push the same plan. With France’s mounting deficit and debt at stake, Lecornu faces stiff resistance both in parliament and on the streets.

Authorities deployed around 80,000 police officers nationwide, with scuffles breaking out in Paris and Marseille during unauthorized early-morning gatherings. Police used tear gas to disperse some protesters, while high-speed trains ran largely unaffected. However, regional rail services, the Paris Metro, schools, and factories faced significant disruptions.

Airports reported only minor delays after air traffic controllers postponed their own strike, but the message from unions was clear: Macron’s austerity agenda risks igniting the same fury that followed his unpopular 2023 pension reform, which raised the retirement age from 62 to 64.

Though Thursday’s strikes stopped short of a complete shutdown, the show of force underscored the public’s deep mistrust of austerity policies and the mounting challenges Macron’s government faces in delivering on its cost-cutting promises.