Soufiane Iquioussen spotted at a blockade site in Valenciennes

Common points

• =Demonstrations took place on 5 November 2026 in several French cities at the call of the inter-union coalition.
• =Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu announced a social conference with trade unions and employers for Monday.
• =Incidents were reported, including a car burned in Lyon and arrests.
• =The demands concern wages, purchasing power and public services.

Divergences

• ≠The number of demonstrators: CGT claims nearly 1.6 million (left), the Ministry of the Interior around 600,000 (centre), and the right cites intermediate figures (270,000 outside Paris, more than 250,000 at 1 pm).
• ≠Coverage of police repression: the left and Révolution Permanente denounce blocking and the arrest of a militant, while the right and centre mention arrests without describing them as repressive.
• ≠Emphasis on the presence of Soufiane Iquioussen in Valenciennes: present in right-wing media (Europe 1, Fdesouche), absent in left and centre media.
• ≠Qualification of incidents: the right stresses violence and disruptions (burnt car, blocked high schools), while the left highlights massive mobilisation and social demands.