France is seeing a day of protests led by a grassroots movement named Bloquons Tout (“Let’s Block Everything”) in a show of anger against the political class and proposed budget cuts.
The demonstrations are taking place on the same day new Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu was sworn in following the toppling of his predecessor, François Bayrou, in a no-confidence vote earlier this week.
Demonstrators blocked streets, set bins on fire, and disrupted access to infrastructure and schools across the country. Around 250 people had been arrested by mid-morning, outgoing Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said.
A bus was torched in Rennes and electric cables near Toulouse were sabotaged, he added.
Several thousand people gathered in Paris, Marseille, Bordeaux and Montpellier.
However, the disruption has remained fairly small-scale. Most of the arrests were made in or around Paris, where about 1,000 protesters – many masked or wearing balaclavas – clashed with police outside Gare du Nord train station.
Some tried to enter the station but were thwarted by agents who fired tear gas, French media report.
Many protesters chanted political slogans against President Emmanuel Macron and Lecornu. Several carried placards against the war in Gaza.
The nebulous movement Let’s Block Everything appears to have been born on social media some months ago and gained momentum over the summer, when it encouraged people to protest against Bayrou’s €44bn (£38bn) budget cuts.
The movement has a distinct left-wing character. Its demands include more investment in public services, taxation for high income brackets, rent freezes and Macron’s resignation.
Credit: bbc.com
