French Police Arrest Dozens in ‘Block Everything’ Protests

Security forces deployed across the country to try to remove any blockades as fast as possible, officials said, meaning that France was, for now, not blocked. Dozens of protesters were arrested and there were some scuffles with police.

The demonstrations took place at a time of political turmoil: two days after parliament ousted Prime Minister Francois Bayrou in a confidence vote over his plans to tame the country’s ballooning debt.

On Tuesday, President Emmanuel Macron appointed his fifth prime minister in less than two years, choosing a close ally, Sebastien Lecornu, which outraged left-wing politicians.

In Paris, firefighters removed burnt objects from a barricade set up by students to block traffic near a high school. Paris police said 132 people had been arrested in the demonstrations there so far.

“It’s the same shit, it’s the same, it’s Macron who’s the problem, not the ministers,” Fred, a representative for the RATP public transport branch of the CGT union said at a protest in Paris.

“The ministers, it’s a problem, but it’s more Macron and his way of working, which means he has to go.”

The “Block Everything” movement – a broad expression of discontent with no centralised leadership and an ad hoc organisation by social media – sprung up online in May among right-wing groups, researchers and officials said, but has since been taken over by the left and far-left.

In the western city of Nantes, protesters blocked a highway with burning tires and bins. Police used teargas to disperse people trying to occupy a roundabout in the same city.

In Montpellier, in the southwest, police scuffled with protesters who had set up a barricade to block traffic at a roundabout. A protester carried a banner that read: “Macron resign”.

Police used teargas to disperse the protesters, some of whom threw various objects at them.

Highway operator Vinci reported protests and traffic disruptions on highways throughout the country, including Marseille, Montpellier, Nantes and Lyon.

The “Block Everything” movement reflects popular discontent with what protesters deem a dysfunctional ruling elite preaching a painful gospel of austerity.

It is drawing comparisons to the 2018 “Yellow Vest” protests, which initially arose over fuel price hikes but morphed into a broader movement against Macron and his plans for economic reform.

About 50 hooded people tried to start a blockade in Bordeaux, while in Toulouse, in the southwest, a fire was quickly extinguished but still disrupted train traffic, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau told reporters early on Wednesday.

He said 80,000 security forces had been deployed throughout the country, including 6,000 in Paris. French media had reported that 100,000 people were expected to take part in the demonstrations.