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The four largest railway unions in France have called a joint national strike as part of a nationwide multi-sector walkout on Thursday, November 5, the US Embassy in Paris said in a security alert issued on Wednesday. Rail disruption could begin on the evening of November 4, the embassy said.
The strike affects teachers, healthcare workers, government employees and public transport staff. The embassy listed several likely effects. Metro lines could close or run late with little warning, and flights may be disrupted. Roads could slow because of demonstrations and blockades, and schools, hospitals, banks and government offices may close or run reduced services.
Al Jazeera reported that the strike is over wages, the cost of living and public services. Students have also blockaded several high schools and universities, and dozens of schools stayed blockaded on Tuesday. According to Human Rights Watch, police used tear gas and stun grenades against young protesters.
The embassy said other groups plan protests on November 5 and through the weekend. It said recent demonstrations turned violent, with property destruction and looting, and that police used less-lethal crowd control methods. Local curfews, including in some Paris neighborhoods, could continue and can be imposed at short notice. For updates, the embassy pointed US citizens to RATP for metro changes, SNCF for regional trains and their airlines for flight status.
The strike follows weeks of unrest. We reported on the 70,000-officer deployment for Halloween weekend in an earlier Circuit Wire post. This time the pressure comes from organized labor as well as students, and the walkout reaches into transport, health care and schools at once.
France is not the only country affected. Al Jazeera counts protests in at least eight European countries. In Spain, police cleared a protest camp in Madrid's Puerta del Sol on Tuesday, removing 334 people and arresting two. Spanish unions have planned a general strike over housing and the cost of living for November 11.
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