Chaos erupts across France as thousands of protesters flood the streets, clashing with police and rioting in opposition to the government’s economic policies. Image : Screenshot via @Jahangir/x
(The Post News)– Protesters across France have on Wednesday blocked roads and set blazes and were met with volleys of police tear gas, seeking to heap pressure on President Emmanuel Macron by attempting to give his new prime minister a baptism of fire.
He said 80 000 security forces had been deployed throughout the country, including 6 000 in Paris, France. French media had reported that 100 000 people were expected to take part in the demonstrations. Officials urged protesters to avoid violence.
More than 100 of the protesters were arrested, and there were some scuffles with police. Police used tear gas to disperse the protesters, some of whom threw various objects at them. This comes two days after parliament ousted Prime Minister Francois Bayrou in a confidence vote over his plans to tame the country’s ballooning debt.
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On Tuesday, Macron appointed his fifth prime minister in less than two years, choosing a close ally, Sebastien Lecornu, which outraged left-wing politicians. “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.”
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.
The spontaneity of “Block Everything” is reminiscent of the “Yellow Vest” protest movement that rocked Macron’s first term as president. It started with workers camping out on traffic circles to protest a hike in fuel taxes, sporting high-visibility vests. It quickly spread to people across political, regional, social, and generational divides venting their anger over perceived economic injustice in France and Macron’s leadership.
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