March against inflation turns up political heat in France

By BOUBKAR BENZABAT and PATRICK HERMANSEN
Associated Press

PARIS (AP) — Thousands of protesters, including France’s newly crowned Nobel laureate for literature, have piled into the streets of Paris. The show of anger Sunday against the bite of rising inflation aimed to crank up pressure on the government of French President Emmanuel Macron. The march for wage increases and other demands was organized by left-wing opponents of Macron. It lit the fuse on what promises to be an uncomfortable week for his centrist government. Transport strikes called for Tuesday threaten to dovetail with wage strikes that have already hobbled fuel refineries and depots, sparking chronic gasoline shortages. Macron’s government is also on the defensive in parliament, where it’s engaged in difficult budget discussions.