Trade unions in France are carrying out another day of widespread nationwide strikes, heaping pressure on the newly appointed Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu to reverse an existing austerity programme and halt any new public spending cuts.

France’s Ministry of the Interior said approximately 85,000 people had turned out across the country by midday on Thursday, excluding Paris – a figure lower than a strike two weeks earlier, which drew much larger crowds, indicating lower overall turnout.

Police said 500,000 people attended the last demonstrations , while trade unions put the figure at one million. The protests led to clashes across France’s cities between the demonstrators and police, with the latter firing tear gas and arresting about 140 people across the country.

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