# France Deploys 70,000 Police as Strikes and Protests Close the Eiffel Tower and Shut a Third of High Schools, Fox News Reports

Unions say fuel, food, rent and power costs are rising while wages and pensions are not. Reuters reports tear gas in Lyon and a school set on fire near Toulouse. The U.S. Embassy had warned Americans of possible curfews and violence.

- Section: [World](https://rightnewsrightnow.com/world/)
- Published: 2026-11-06
- By: RightNewsRightNow Staff
- Canonical page: https://rightnewsrightnow.com/articles/france-protests-70000-police-eiffel-tower-closed-lyon-tear-gas-cgt-binet-nunez-le-pen-fox-news/

France sent 70,000 police into the streets on Thursday as tens of thousands joined nationwide strikes and protests called by left-wing groups, Fox News reports.

The scale. Fox, citing Reuters, says the Eiffel Tower was closed in Paris. An official close to Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said around 270,000 people had joined union action in 180 rallies outside the capital by early Thursday. The Associated Press reported that about a third of French high schools were closed or unable to run, some from student blockades and others from teacher strikes. Nunez said the police are backed by armored vehicles, drones and helicopters.

The violence. Reuters reported that riot police fired tear gas and charged a group of protesters in Lyon, and that a high school near Toulouse was set on fire. Authorities in Brittany said masked people tried to block roads in Rennes and some committed "serious acts of violence," including throwing steel balls at police.

The demands. CGT union head Sophie Binet urged people to "turn up in big numbers on the streets." The main unions said France is near recession and layoff plans are multiplying, and that "fuel, food products, rent, gas, electricity... everything's going up except wages and pensions."

The political setting. Fox says this follows violent protests in October that outgoing President Emmanuel Macron blamed on "ultra-left groups whose aim is to bring down the Republic." The race to succeed Macron next May is heating up. The AP reports Marine Le Pen, who is far right, is the favorite. Macron cannot run again.

The U.S. angle. The U.S. Embassy had issued a security alert for Americans in France, warning of disruptions, sudden curfews and potential violence. Two tourists Fox spoke to were not bothered by the strike.

Why it matters here. Fox's analysts are already using France as a warning about migration and public anger. We have only the news account, and the unions' complaint is about prices, the same issue behind Tuesday's U.S. vote.

What we could not check. We did not see the Reuters or AP stories. The crowd numbers come from an official close to the interior minister, not an independent count. We did not verify the school fire or the tear gas incident.

## Source

Original reporting: [Fox News (with Reuters and the Associated Press)](https://www.foxnews.com/world/protests-erupt-across-france-left-wing-groups-call-mobilization)