French police have arrested more than 200 people as protests under the slogan “Block Everything” spread across the country. Demonstrators set fire to bins and blocked highways, voicing anger at President Emmanuel Macron’s government and its austerity policies.
The interior ministry says 80,000 officers were deployed nationwide. Tear gas was fired in Paris and a bus was set alight in Rennes, while damage to a power line disrupted train services in the southwest.
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The protests followed a no-confidence vote that forced out Prime Minister Francois Bayrou on Monday. President Macron has since appointed Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu as his replacement, making him France’s fifth premier in less than two years.
Organisers of the “Block Everything” movement say the demonstrations are fuelled by frustration with poverty, inequality and repeated political upheaval. The campaign has drawn comparisons with the Yellow Vest protests that shook Macron’s first term in office.
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