Eiffel Tower closes as austerity strikes grip France

France faced nationwide strikes on October 2, 2025, as tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets in Paris and over 200 cities to oppose austerity measures and demand higher taxes on the wealthyabcnews.

The Eiffel Tower closed to visitors due to the strike, while major museums like the Louvre partially shuttered as eight major unions including CGT and CFDT organized the demonstrationsabcnews.

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, appointed just last month after his predecessor François Bayrou was ousted by parliament, faces mounting pressure to abandon the proposed €44 billion budget cuts amid France’s deepening fiscal crisisaljazeera.

France’s budget deficit reached 5.8% of GDP in 2024—nearly double the EU’s 3% limit—as the government struggles to address escalating debt while unions demand the abandonment of proposed cuts to social welfare and public servicesreuters.

Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau deployed 76,000 police officers nationwide including 5,000 in Paris as authorities braced for disruptions, though turnout appeared lower than September protests that drew up to one million participantsaljazeera.

France witnessed a dramatic show of defiance on Thursday as the iconic Eiffel Tower shuttered its doors to visitors while tens of thousands of protesters flooded the streets of Paris and more than 200 cities nationwide. The extraordinary day of strikes and demonstrations on October 2, 2025, represented a direct challenge to Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu’s government as unions mobilized against proposed austerity measures that threaten to reshape France’s social contract.abcnews

Massive Mobilization Against Budget Cuts

The nationwide strikes, organized by eight major trade unions including the hardline CGT and France’s largest union, the CFDT, drew approximately 85,000 protesters by midday according to the Interior Ministry—though union leaders claimed much higher numbers. The demonstration in Paris followed a new route from Place d’Italie to Place Vauban, with protesters demanding the government abandon its proposed €44 billion budget cuts and instead impose higher taxes on the wealthy.aljazeera

Sophie Binet, secretary general of the CGT union, made the stakes clear in an interview with BFM TV: “First of all, what we want to know is who the government will be… And then we want to know what the budget will be, and if there are any setbacks in the budget, obviously we won’t let it pass”. The protest disrupted key cultural sites, with the Louvre Museum closing certain rooms and the Eiffel Tower announcing its complete closure due to the strike.abcnews

Political Crisis Deepens France’s Fiscal Challenge

The protests come as Prime Minister Lecornu, appointed just three weeks ago, faces the monumental task of navigating France through its worst budget crisis in years. His predecessor, François Bayrou, was ousted by parliament on September 8 after losing a crushing confidence vote of 364 to 194 over his proposed austerity budget. France’s budget deficit reached 5.8% of GDP in 2024—nearly double the European Union’s 3% ceiling—while public debt soared to 113% of GDP.lemonde

Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau deployed a massive security operation, mobilizing 76,000 police officers nationwide with 5,000 stationed in Paris alone to maintain order during the demonstrations. Despite the heavy police presence, the protests remained largely peaceful, though students blocked several high schools and lit flares outside educational institutions.aa

The strikes represent the latest chapter in France’s mounting social unrest, following similar protests on September 18 that drew between 500,000 to one million demonstrators according to competing estimates from police and unions. As Lecornu races to form his cabinet and present a viable budget by year’s end, the unified opposition from both far-left and far-right parties threatens to plunge France deeper into political instability, leaving Europe’s second-largest economy without a clear path forward.evrimagaci