These widespread demonstrations are occurring amidst escalating political and economic instability within the nation.
In France, hundreds of individuals have been apprehended following confrontations between riot police and protestors. These demonstrators had pledged to “block everything” across the country, fueled by growing dissatisfaction with President Emmanuel Macron’s administration.
According to the Interior Ministry, approximately 175,000 individuals participated in Wednesday’s protests throughout Paris and other major cities such as Marseille, Montpellier, Nantes, and Lyon. Authorities documented 473 arrests nationwide, with security forces recording more than 800 protest activities, along with numerous fires and obstructions of roads and structures.
The protests were organized under the banner ‘Bloquons Tout’, meaning ‘Let’s block everything’, indicating an intention to strike, impede roads, and interrupt public services in protest against proposed austerity policies. More than 80,000 police officers were deployed to rapidly remove barricades and clear obstructions.
In Paris, tear gas was deployed by police outside the Gare du Nord train station, where approximately a thousand protestors had assembled, some displaying signs proclaiming Wednesday as a ‘public holiday’. Demonstrators in Nantes ignited tires and waste bins to obstruct a highway before being dispersed by gas. In Montpellier, confrontations arose as protestors erected barricades, with one banner calling for ‘Macron to resign’.
In Bordeaux, protestors attempted to initiate a blockade, while in Toulouse, a fire temporarily interrupted train services before being put out. Around 400 individuals stormed the Gare de Lyon station in Paris.
These demonstrations occur as France contends with a surging budget deficit, which reached 5.8% of GDP in 2024, nearly twice the EU’s 3% limit. The current unrest is reminiscent of the Yellow Vest movement that emerged during Macron’s initial term due to fuel taxes and economic disparity. This follows Monday’s vote of no-confidence, which led to the ousting of Prime Minister Francois Bayrou and paved the way for Sebastien Lecornu to become the nation’s fourth premier within a year.
Bayrou’s austerity proposals – including the elimination of public holidays, reductions in public sector employment, and a freeze on welfare payments, alongside increased military expenditure – have provoked strong opposition.
“It’s the same situation… Macron is the issue, not the ministers,” a representative from the CGT transport union informed Reuters. “It’s more about Macron and his operational approach, which indicates he must leave.”
© Getty Images / Kiran Ridley / Contributor
Surveys indicate that Macron’s approval rating has plummeted to its lowest point since 2017, with eighty percent of French citizens stating they no longer have confidence in him.