1 of 2 | Protesters participate in a rally against rising prices in France, in Paris, on Sunday. Photo by Mohammed Badra/EPA-EFE
Oct. 16 (UPI) -- Tens of thousands of protesters marched in Paris on Sunday to demonstrate against rising inflation, organized by a coalition of left-wing parties seeking to put pressure on the government of French President Emmanuel Macron.
The protest comes ahead of a mobilization across France called for Tuesday by unions after recent strikes at oil refineries in the country by workers seeking higher wages, the news agency EFE reported. About a third of all gas stations in France have run out of gas since the strikes began on September 27.
Prices have risen in France by more than 6% this year because of Russia's war in Ukraine, according to The New York Times, though inflation in the country is lower than in the rest of Europe.
Gwenola Leroux, a 63-year-old retired literature professor, called the inflation "unbelievable" in comments to The New York Times.
"Every time I buy basic necessities, I wonder if they got the prices wrong," she said.
Authorities were on alert Sunday for potential altercations involving the left-wing populist Yellow Vests movement, protesters known for wearing safety vests that have demonstrated against rising fuel prices since 2018.
An estimated 2,000 law enforcement officers were expected to be stationed at the demonstration with between 400 and 500 people considered potential dangers to public order, EFE reported.
About 29,500 people participated in the protest on Sunday, according to FranceInfo. Which reported that high-profile demonstrators among the protesters included writer Annie Ernaux who was recently awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature.
Europe has experienced large protests across the continent as inflation has affected the global economy, including recent protests by airline workers in Spain and Germany as well as railway strikes in Britain.
"Rather than laying claim to the striking workers, we should lay claim to their profits," Pascal Morel, the regional head of France's second-largest union Confédération Générale du Travail, told The New York Times.
The March on Sunday began at the Place de la Nation and ended at the Place de la Bastille in eastern Paris.
