Tens of thousands take to the streets of France for May Day marches 

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of France on Friday for the annual May Day marches.

Between 110,000 and 160,000 people were expected to take part in marches on la fête du Travail (May 1).

The majority of gatherings took place in the morning, except in Paris where between 20,000 and 40,000 protestors will meet at place de la République at 14:00, with the march ending at place de la Nation.

A total of 320 gatherings have been organized to mark the day, with marches taking place Friday morning in major cities including Bordeaux, Lille, Nantes, Nice, and Rennes.

Social media posts showed marches in Marseille, where crowds set off late morning from the city’s old port, and in Saint-Gaudens (Haute-Garonne), where marchers joined employees from a local pulp mill who lost their jobs after it was placed under receivership.

Away from the cities, marchers gathered in towns and villages across the country. In Sallaumines (Pas-de-Calais) locals laid wreathes at a monument commemorating a 1906 mining disaster in the town.

French astronaut Sophie Adenot, who is currently taking part in an eight-month mission aboard the International Space Station, shared a message on social media to mark the day. Ms Adenot wrote that it is "not a public holiday on board the Station, but it's a good time to share a simple message with you: take care of yourselves, and take care of our planet."

This day has been a public holiday since 1947 and is typically marked with workers’ marches to celebrate workers’ rights.

While most of the marches went off peacefully, with an increased police presence brought in to help diffuse any potential conflict, there were nonetheless some disturbances.

France Info reported that between 1,800 and 3,000 people demonstrated this morning in Mâcon (Saône-et-Loire) in response to far-right party the Rassemblement National organising their annual May 1 'big meeting' at the city's Le Spot venue. Marine Le Pen and party leader, Jordan Bardella, were expected to speak at the event later in the day.

The counter event was planned by environmental collective Les soulèvements de la terre. The group hosted debates, concerts, games and conferences on Mâcon's Esplanade Lamartine.

In Amiens the leader of the Socialist Party, Olivier Faure, was flour-bombed by two masked men, one of whom wore a scarf with communist symbols, Ici Picardie reported.

Ahead of the day several trade unions called on people to use the day for political action, with the CGT stating in press release: “This May 1, we are calling on all workers to protest against the high cost of living and to demand that our work be properly remunerated.”

The CGT also listed demands for peace in solidarity with those in Ukraine, Iran, Lebanon, Palestine and Sudan, and for progress regarding the transition towards environmentally sustainable economies and societies. 

Reports of May 1 demonstration turnout levels tend to differ between the interior ministry and the CGT, however this year’s estimations are in line with the average of previous years and sits well below the 780,000 people who gathered in 2023 to protest against the pension reform.

May 1 protests planned in France

Below is a list of some of the protests organised on la fête du Travail 2026 :

• Bordeaux – place de la République at 10:00

• Dijon – place Wilson at 10:30

• Lille – Porte des Postes at 10:00

• Lyon – place Jean-Macé at 10:30

• Marseille – Vieux Port at 10:30

• Montpellier – place Albert 1er at 10:30

• Nantes – Cité des Congrès at 10:30

• Nice – Jardin Albert 1er at 10:00

• Toulouse – place Esquirol at 10:30

• Rennes – place Jean-Normand at 11:00

• Strasbourg – place Kléber at 10:00