FRANCE-POLITICS-SOCIAL-PROTEST

A protester throws glass bottles towards anti-riot police officers during a demonstration in Nantes, western France, on September 18, 2025, part of a day of nationwide strikes and protests called by unions over France's national budget. France is bracing for a day of nationwide protests on September 18, 2025, with a source close to the authorities saying some 800,000 people are expected to take to the streets. In a rare show of unity, trade unions have urged French people to strike in protest at the authorities' "horror show" draft budget designed to reduce France's ballooning debt. (Photo by Loic VENANCE / AFP) (Photo by LOIC VENANCE/AFP via Getty Images)