Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to take to the streets across France on Thursday, as trade unions hold strikes alongside student-led demonstrations that have gripped the country for weeks.

French authorities estimate that about 500,000 to 700,000 people will protest nationwide, with as many as 80,000 expected to march in Paris. Marylise Leon of the CFDT union anticipated a “strong mobilisation” comparable to the 2023 pension reform protests, which saw more than one million people march.

Public and private education unions have called for strike action, as have unions representing rail workers, public hospitals and postal services. The unions are demanding an increase in the minimum wage, which has not received a discretionary boost since 2012, as well as across-the-board wage raises, tax reforms and better learning conditions for young people.

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez announced that 70,000 police officers and security forces would be deployed across the country, promising an “extremely firm response” to any acts of violence or disorder.

The high school student movement began with youth protesting poor learning conditions and has coincided with widespread anger over the rising cost of living and inequality, which culminated on October 17 in the worst rioting France has seen in years. Although student-led protests have been largely peaceful, some clashes with police have erupted, with tear gas and water cannon fired to disperse crowds. An attempted murder investigation has been launched after petrol bombs were thrown at security forces in Paris on Saturday, while the police response has been criticised as heavy-handed, with internal investigations launched over allegations of brutality against demonstrators.

Authorities have admitted to security and intelligence failures that paved the way for the clashes, large-scale looting and vandalism that erupted on October 17. On Wednesday, the Paris prefecture banned a major protest route planned between Place de la Bastille and Place de la Concorde, replacing it with an authorised route moving eastward away from the city centre. Several unions have denounced the route bans as a move to repress freedom of demonstration, and some have filed last-minute appeals to have the routes reinstated.

Fabrice Fort of the CGT union explained that public sympathy for the student movement is not waning and that people are questioning restrictions on liberties. “This has sparked a wake-up call among people who usually don’t speak out much,” he said. Similar youth-led demonstrations have been seen in Denmark, Germany and Italy in recent weeks.