US warns Americans in France as nationwide protests erupt
Fox News foreign correspondent Jeff Paul reports on nationwide demonstrations in France, where as many as 700,000 people are expected to take part and 70,000 police officers have been deployed. The U.S. Embassy is cautioning Americans about potential dangers and travel disruptions.
France deployed 70,000 police officers Thursday as tens of thousands of people took to the streets during nationwide strikes and protests organized after left-wing groups called for a broad mobilization.
The Eiffel Tower was closed in Paris, while riot police in Lyon fired tear gas and charged a group of protesters. Near Toulouse, a high school was set on fire, Reuters reported.
“We need to turn out in large numbers on the streets today,” Sophie Binet, head of the left-wing CGT union, said, according to the news agency.
The demonstrations follow a wave of violent protests that shook France in October. Outgoing French President Emmanuel Macron blamed those disturbances on “ultra-left groups whose aim is to bring down the Republic.”
A car burns as demonstrators look on during a nationwide day of strikes and protests over wages, the cost of living and public services, called by French labor unions and joined by high school and university students calling for better education conditions, in Lyon, France, on Nov. 5, 2026. (Reuters)
An official close to Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said that by early Thursday, roughly 270,000 people had participated in union-led actions at 180 rallies outside the capital.
Around one-third of France’s high schools were closed or unable to function. The Associated Press reported that some were affected by student blockades, while others were closed because teachers were on strike.
Toby Harris, an Australian tourist visiting Paris on Thursday, told News Media, “I feel like it’s probably a good thing that there’s political action in the city.”
“If things have to close because people want to make a point, then I’m sort of all for it,” she added.
Ashley Bradshaw, a tourist from Utah, said outside the Eiffel Tower that the strike had prevented her from touring the opera. “We were going to go tour the opera today and because of the strike, we couldn’t access that, which was a bummer, but we’re happy that we get to just be here in Paris,” she said.
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French high school students, officials and protesters face off with French riot police as they block a street with garbage bins during high school blockades ahead of a demonstration in Paris on Nov. 5, 2026. (Reuters)
Nuñez said the 70,000 police officers assigned to the demonstrations would be supported by armored vehicles, drones and helicopters.
Authorities in Brittany, in western France, said “masked individuals” attempted to block roads in Rennes. Some people also committed “serious acts of violence,” including throwing steel balls at police.
Protesters carry a banner and Communist flags during a nationwide day of strikes and protests in Lyon, France, on Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026. (Reuters)
France’s major unions warned that the country is nearing recession and said layoff plans are becoming increasingly widespread.
“Fuel, food products, rent, gas, electricity… everything’s going up except wages and pensions,” the unions said in a joint statement, according to The Associated Press.
Riot police detain a protester during a protest in Lyon, France, on Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026. (Laurent Cipriani/AP)
Ahead of the demonstrations, the U.S. Embassy issued an urgent security alert for Americans in France. It warned travelers to prepare for major disruptions, sudden curfews and the possibility of violence.
The protests come as the campaign to replace Macron as president next May gains momentum, with political parties looking to capitalize on the unrest and public anger.
A member of the French gendarmerie shoots a tear gas canister during a demonstration in Nantes, France, on Nov. 5, 2026. (Reuters)
Macron is constitutionally barred from pursuing a third consecutive term, while far-right candidate Marine Le Pen is the favorite to win, the AP reported.