France has been rocked by escalating cost-of-living protests and violent unrest since September

French police have used batons and tear gas against demonstrators in Lyon as violent clashes erupted during nationwide strikes on Thursday. Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of the French city, according to organizers.

The clashes came as weeks of nationwide protests and unrest over living costs, education and government spending escalated into hundreds of protest actions across the country.

Workers, students and pensioners joined Thursday’s nationwide strikes organized by a coalition of major French trade unions, which had called for the protests in early October.…