Protesters march in Paris against rising prices as refinery strikes continue

Rally led by Jean-Luc Melenchon's France Unbowed party and backed by Greens, Socialists and Communists

French protesters march towards the Bastille on Sunday during a rally against soaring living costs and climate inaction. AFP

Tens of thousands of protesters marched in Paris on Sunday to express their frustration at the rising cost of living as three weeks of a refinery strike caused fuel shortages across France.

The demonstration was led by the head of the France Unbowed (LFI) party, Jean-Luc Melenchon, and organised by the left-wing political opposition.

Police were pelted with objects and retaliated with tear gas and baton charges, while on the fringes of the march, masked men dressed in black ransacked a bank.

Some protesters wore yellow florescent vests, the symbol of the often violent anti-government protests in 2018 that shook the pro-business government of President Emmanuel Macron.

"It's time to wake up," said Christopher Savidan, an LFI activist who has been out of work for five years.

"The people at the top are out of touch. We pay taxes, we don't know why. Everything is going down the drain."

Opponents of Mr Macron are hoping to build on the momentum created by the refinery dispute, which began at the end of September.

"We're going to have a week the likes of which we don't see very often," Mr Melenchon told the crowd.

"Everything is coming together. We are starting it with this march, which is an immense success."

He also called for a "general strike" on Tuesday.

Fuel strikes in France - in pictures

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  Workers from TotalEnergies and Esso ExxonMobil during a protest called by the CGT union outside TotalEnergies refinery in La Mede, Chateau Neuf les Martigues, France. EPA

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  CGT union leader Philippe Martinez talks to the media as he greets striking workers at the Gravenchon Port-Jerome refinery, northern France. AFP

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  The queue for fuel at a petrol station in Paris. AFP

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  French 'Spiderman' Alain Robert during his unsuccessful attempt to climb the TotalEnergies skyscraper to highlight the fuel and energy crisis, in La Defence, near Paris. Reuters

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  An 'ongoing meeting' sign on a door at the Matignon Hotel in Paris as the French prime minister holds an inter-ministerial meeting regarding the supply of fuel. AFP

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  A closed pump at a petrol station in Lille, northern France. AP

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  A TotalEnergies and Esso ExxonMobil workers' protest outside TotalEnergies refinery in La Mede. Reuters

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  Drivers queue to fill their tanks at a petrol station in Nice. Reuters

Several French unions, but not all, have declared the date a national day of strikes against road transport, trains and the public sector.

Organisers claimed 140,000 people attended Sunday's march, but police said there were 30,000. A count by the organisation Occurrence for news mediaput the figure at 29,500.

The strikes and protests are being closely watched by the government, which is aiming to pass a highly controversial change to the pensions system in the next few months.

Mr Macron, who won re-election in April, has pledged to push back the retirement age from 62, with the reform scheduled before the end of the winter.

"I'm really worried," one ruling party MP told AFP last week. "We need to find a route between the need for reforms and the fact that people are riled up and tired."

Four of France's seven refineries, all belonging to TotalEnergies, remained blocked on Sunday.

The French company announced on Friday that it had reached a pay deal with the two largest unions representing staff at its refineries, raising hopes of an end to the stand-off.

But the hardline CGT union has refused to accept it, with its members continuing to maintain picket lines.

Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne told TF1 TV on Sunday evening that if the situation remained tense on Monday, the authorities would proceed with more requisitions, forcing striking workers back to their posts.

About 30 per cent of service stations were experiencing supply problems for one type of fuel or another, she said. "That's too many."

Long petrol queues becoming familiar sight in France - video

Earlier on Sunday, Budget Minister Gabriel Attal called the continuation of the strike "unacceptable", while business lobby group Medef said "150 people" were "taking the country hostage."

Staff at two other refineries owned by the US group Esso-ExxonMobil returned to work at the end of last week, but operations there will take at least a fortnight to return to normal, the company said.

With about a third of petrol stations across the country experiencing supply problems, drivers are often waiting hours to refuel.

Many companies have cut back on travel and deliveries, and even emergency service vehicles face shortages.

The huge profits made by energy groups due to record fuel prices have led to some sympathy for employees pushing for higher wages.

But a poll by the BVA polling group released on Friday suggested that only 37 per cent of people supported the strikes.

Sunday's Paris march and rally called by Mr Melenchon's party was backed by its coalition allies — the Greens, Socialists and Communists.

Recent Nobel literature laureate Annie Ernaux and another 60 people from the arts and public life also called for people to join the march in a joint letter.