On Tuesday Jan. 31, it is estimated that some three million people took part in demonstrations, rallies, and strikes in nearly 250 events all over France, a number of participants going beyond the Jan. 19 protests, which were already massive.
The CGT trade union said 2.8 million protested nationwide, with 500,000 in Paris alone. The French Interior Ministry said that a total of 1.272 million people took part in the protests nationwide and 87,000 in Paris. According to the figures communicated by the prefectures, the demonstrators were 14,000 in Rouen (compared to 13,000 on the first day of mobilization, January 19), 12,000 in Le Havre (compared to 11,000) or 28,000 in Nantes (compared to 25,000). In Marseille, some 40,000 people marched, a sharp increase from the 26,000 on the 19th. Once again, the medium-sized cities seemed to be in the lead with 7,000 demonstrators in Alès (35,000 inhabitants) or 8,500 in Angoulême (42,000 inhabitants).
The protests severely disrupted transport, with three-quarters of trains outside Paris canceled. The CGT union said at least three-quarters of workers had walked out at the big TotalEnergies oil refineries and fuel depots. Power plants reported reduced production after workers went on strike at the main electricity company, EDF. One of the main teachers’ unions said some 55% of secondary school teachers had walked out. High school pupils staged protests outside some schools, and students said they would occupy Sciences Po university in Paris in support of the strikers.