French public-sector strike and school blockades greet budget cuts two days early

French civil servants went on strike and students blockaded about 330 high schools on Tuesday, two days before Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu's government unveils a 2027 budget with 54 billion euros in savings, including a fourth consecutive freeze on civil servants' base pay. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez reported 440 arrests nationwide amid roughly 170 rallies. The unrest comes seven months before France's next presidential election.

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