Parisians turn to two wheels to defeat strikes grinding city to a halt

Unions lead widespread protests across France over budget cuts

A woman rides her bike next to Elementary School Gambetta, near Paris, during a nationwide strike day. EPA

Increasingly popular e-bikes ruled the largely empty streets of Paris on Thursday, as unions staged a national strike over budget reforms.

In place de la Republique, cyclists zipped by policemen as they closed off the streets with tape, preparing for crowds of protesters.

"It's a bit of a luxury, as they're expensive, but I thought the combination of a sunny day and protests was the perfect excuse," said Lucie, an unemployed 26-year old Parisian.

Her e-bike is missing a pedal, but it's a better option than the metro, which was largely closed. "I'm like a lot of Parisians," Lucie told The National. "I take the bike in the summer and the metro in the winter."

The large Place de la Republique is a favourite spot for left-wing parties to stage protests. Its centrepiece is a colossal bronze statue of Marianne, the French Republique's symbol, standing on top of a large pedestal covered in antigovernmental graffiti. "People feel abandoned. They've lost trust in the world around them," Lucie said.

Protesters briefly entered the Economy Ministry in Paris. AFP

Public anger is fuelled by tough political discussions on how to slash the deepening public deficit. Deciding who will pay for it is an apparently impossible task – two prime ministers were toppled in the past year. After he was nominated last week, Sébastien Lecornu immediately walked back on a proposal put forward by his predecessor to cancel two bank holidays in the year.

Massive police presence

Between 600,000 and 900,000 protesters are expected across France, and 80,000 policemen have been deployed. With unions calling for strikes, around a third of teachers walked out as well as nine out of 10 pharmacies. "Actions have been less intense than expected, undoubtedly thanks to the massive presence of law enforcement," Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said.

Before protesters arrived, the Place de la Republique had an air of holiday, with fewer cars than usual. On national TV, commentators TV marvelled at the fact that there was not more traffic than usual on the highways leading to Paris. Many suburban workers, it appeared, had chosen to work from home.

For the occasional visitor, however, the situation could quickly become tricky. Samuel, from the northern city of Lille, was seen struggling in front of a terminal of city e-bikes for 15 minutes before asking from help from two teenagers riding on a single bike.

There is the complication of downloading an app, receiving the right code, and then making sure to enter the code in the right place fast enough. But Samuel put on a brave face. "It's for the good cause. I support the protests," he said.

On the opposite side of the street, outside the Lycee Turgot, teenagers had blocked their secondary school with empty rubbish bins, singing slogans under the watchful eye of a handful of policemen.

Most of Paris's metro network was closed on Thursday because of strikes. Getty Images

Reading from a list on her phone, one girl said they were protesting against many things at once: "We're doing a blocus against the government and the ridiculous new prime minister. We're also against the brutal and unfair budget that deprives public institutions of funds." Some 23 secondary schools were blocked by protesters across France.

In some areas, the atmosphere was more tense. In Nantes, police used tear gas against protesters after they threw projectiles at the police. Roadblocks, often quickly dismantled, sprung up across major cities. Outside Gare de Lyon in Paris, railway workers burnt wooden palettes before making speeches.

Protesters also briefly broke into the Ministry of Economy building. One union leader was quoted by radio RTL as saying: "We managed to enter, that's it! The point is not to have 50 guys in custody, so we'll leave quietly." Another said: "sorry for the disturbance."