On Wednesday, protesters across France blocked traffic, burned trash bins, and clashed with police in an attempt to "block everything" in protest against President Emmanuel Macron and planned budget cuts.
According to Reuters, around 300 protesters were arrested nationwide. Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau reported that 80,000 security personnel were deployed, including 6,000 in Paris.
In the capital, police used tear gas against young people blocking the entrance to a high school, and firefighters removed burnt items from the barricade. Protesters set a bus on fire in the western city of Rennes, Retailleau told reporters. He also said that some protesters attacked the police with heavy cobblestones but did not specify where exactly.
The day before, President Macron appointed his close ally, conservative Sébastien Lecornu, as his new prime minister, who took office on Wednesday and faced the same challenge as his predecessor — the need to curb France's growing debt.
The "Block Everything" movement, lacking centralized leadership and organized based on situational actions on social media, emerged online among right-wing groups in May but has since been taken over by left-wing and far-left forces.
This movement reflects public discontent with what protesters see as an ineffective ruling elite preaching austerity. It evokes associations with the "yellow vests" protests of 2018, which began over fuel price hikes but turned into a broader movement against Macron and his economic reform plans.
Photo: Reuters