Protests greet new French PM’s first day

PARIS—A day of antigovernment action across France on Wednesday saw streets choked with smoke, barricades in flames and volleys of tear gas as protesters denounced budget cuts and political turmoil.

The nationwide “Block Everything” campaign presented a challenge to President Emmanuel Macron and turned Sébastien Lecornu’s first day as prime minister into a baptism of fire.

Although falling short of its self-declared intention of total disruption, the protests still managed to paralyze parts of daily life and ignite hundreds of hot spots across the country.

The deployment of 80,000 police officers broke up barricades and dragged hundreds of protesters into custody, yet flash points multiplied. In Rennes, a bus was torched. In the southwest, electrical cables were severed, halting train services and snarling traffic.

Cycle of unrest

By evening, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said nearly 200,000 people had taken to the streets nationwide, while the CGT union, one of France’s largest labor confederations, claimed closer to 250,000.

His ministry reported more than 450 arrests, hundreds held in custody, over a dozen officers injured, and more than 800 protest actions—from rallies to street fires—across the country. Retailleau called the day “a defeat for those who wanted to block the country.” Yet the government’s own tally told a different story.

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The “Bloquons Tout,” or “Block Everything,” protests did not match the scale of France’s 2018 yellow vest revolt, but still underscored the cycle of unrest that has dogged Macron’s presidency: mass deployments, bursts of violence, and repeated clashes between the government and the streets.

After his reelection in 2022, Macron faced firestorms of anger over unpopular pension reforms.