Events in the year 2023 in France.
Incumbents
President – Emmanuel Macron (REM) Prime Minister – Élisabeth Borne (REM) Government – Borne government
Events
January
11 January – Six people are injured in a knife attack at Paris's Gare du Nord train station. 19 January – 2023 French pension reform strikes Strikes and demonstrations begin throughout France against the government's pension reform project, which plans to raise the retirement age to 64. 21 January – RT France, the French arm of the Russian state media network RT, ceases operation following the freezing of their bank accounts by the Direction générale du Trésor. 25 January – France agrees to withdraw its 400 special forces from Burkina Faso, following the Saturday mandate from the ruling military junta that they withdraw within a month. 31 January – 2023 French pension reform strikes A second day of strikes and demonstrations occur throughout France against the government's pension reform project, which proposes to raise the retirement age to 64. According to the CGT union, 2.8 million people took part in the protests while the Ministry of Internal Affairs counted 1.272 million protesters. About 25% of teachers are on strike according to the Ministry of National Education. This figure is 55% according to the teachers' union SNES-fu.
February
7 February – 2023 French pension reform strikes
A third day of national protests were held, attended by over 2 million strikers, 400,000 in Paris alone, according to the CGT, while the police estimate that around 757,000 strikers participated. 11 February – 2023 French pension reform strikes A fourth day of national protests were held, attended by over 2.5 million strikers, 500,000 of whom were in Paris, according to the CGT, whilst the Ministry of the Interior claims that 963,000 protested. 16 February – 2023 French pension reform strikes Unions said some 1.3 million people participated in strikes nationwide, with 30 percent of flights from Paris's Orly Airport being cancelled.
March
4 March – Twenty-one people are injured in a bus crash in Corps, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. 7 March – 2023 French pension reform strikes Trains around the country continued to be affected by strikes and protests, with 1.1 to 1.4 million people believed to have participated in over 260 protests across the country. 20 March – March 2023 votes of no confidence in the government of Élisabeth Borne motions were voted down. The cross-party motion failed by a margin of just 9 votes. 23 March – Palais Rohan in Bordeaux is set on fire by protesters.
April
9 April –
2023 Marseille building collapse
Six people are killed and many others are injured in an avalanche near Mont Blanc, in the French Alps. 20 April – Operation Wuambushu
May
21 May – Three people are killed in a shooting in the 11th arrondissement of Marseille.
June
8 June – Six children are injured during a mass stabbing in Lake Annecy, Haute-Savoie. The Syrian refugee perpetrator is arrested. A motive behind the attack is still unclear. 16 June – A magnitude 4.8 earthquake strikes Niort, Deux-Sèvres, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, injuring two people and severely damaging hundreds of buildings. 21 June – 2023 Paris explosion: Around 50 people are injured and one is missing after an explosion and fire on Rue Saint-Jacques in Paris. 27 June – Killing of Nahel M.: A 17-year-old boy is shot dead by a police officer after an attempted traffic stop in Nanterre, Hauts-de-Seine, Île-de-France. Due to the incident, rioting breaks out. 28 June – Riots occur in several French towns following the killing of Nahel M. by a police officer in Nanterre, Hauts-de-Seine, Île-de-France. At least 150 people are arrested, 24 police officers are injured, and 40 cars are set alight. Town halls, schools, and police stations were also set on fire or attacked. 29 June – Rioting continues for a third night across France with at least 100 people being arrested as 40,000 police officers are deployed to tackle the unrest. A town hall is set on fire in Clichy-sous-Bois, while supermarkets and other shops are looted by gangs in Nantes and Montreuil, Seine-Saint-Denis. 30 June – Police officer involved with the killing of Nahel M. charged with homicide. Rioters set fire to the main public library in Marseille as civil unrest continues across France. More than 900 people have been arrested and Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin deploys an additional 45,000 police officers to the streets.