Protesters across France blocked highways, burned barricades, and clashed sporadically with police on Wednesday, September 10, highlighting deep public anger against President Emmanuel Macron, the political elite, widening economic inequality, and planned spending cuts.
The “Block Everything” movement against the government budget and other policies—a widespread expression of discontent spread through social media—began in May among right-wing groups online but has since been supported by the left and far-left.
The situation in the country has now reached such a point that, according to Reuters, authorities have deployed more than 80,000 security personnel across France, removing protesters’ barriers and spraying them with water cannons, as tensions flared in several places.
Political unrest increased when conservative Sebastien Lecornu took office as President Emmanuel Macron’s new prime minister on September 9, after his predecessor, Francois Bayrou, lost a vote of no confidence in parliament over unpopular plans for massive budget cuts.
Reuters reported that France is under pressure to reduce its budget deficit, which is almost double the European Union’s 3% ceiling (about 5.8% of GDP), and its debt pile is equivalent to 114% of GDP.
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In the French capital, Paris, students and school-age youth joined the protesters. More than 300 people were arrested during the movement across the country, although many rallies were peaceful. Around 200,000 people across the country took part in the movement, which prominent French politician and Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau described as “significant,” although he added that “those who wanted to block the country failed to do so.”
A major reason for the anger of the protesters in this movement is the Bayrou government’s proposal to cut public spending by 44 billion euros ($52 billion).
This article includes reporting from Reuters.