France's streets ablaze as antigovernment protests disrupt daily life

"A nationwide wave of antigovernment protests swept across France, filling streets with smoke, burning barricades and tear gas as demonstrators rallied against budget cuts and political instability. The Block Everything campaign created a formidable test for President Emmanuel Macron and transformed Sebastien Lecornu's first day as prime minister into an immediate crisis. While the movement did not achieve its goal of total national disruption on Wednesday, it successfully paralysed significant portions of daily life and ignited hundreds of flashpoints throughout the country."

"Despite deploying 80,000 police officers who dismantled barricades and arrested hundreds, disturbances multiplied across France. Protesters torched a bus in Rennes, while severed electric cables in the southwest halted train service and created traffic chaos. Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau reported nearly 200,000 demonstrators nationwide by evening, though the CGT union claimed closer to 250,000 participants. His ministry documented more than 450 arrests, hundreds in custody, more than a dozen injured officers, and upwards of 800 protest actions ranging from rallies to street fires."

"The Bloquons Tout protests, while not matching the scale of France's 2018 yellow vest movement, highlighted the recurring pattern of unrest during Macron's presidency: Huge police deployments, violent outbursts, and persistent confrontations between government and citizenry. Since his 2022 re-election, Macron has faced intense public anger over controversial pension reforms, and nationwide riots following the 2023 police killing of a teenager in Paris's suburbs."

More than 200,000 demonstrators took part in nationwide antigovernment protests that filled streets with smoke, burning barricades and tear gas as people rallied against budget cuts and political instability. The Block Everything campaign disrupted significant portions of daily life and turned Sebastien Lecornu's first day as prime minister into an immediate crisis. Authorities deployed 80,000 police, dismantled barricades and made over 450 arrests, with hundreds held in custody and more than a dozen officers injured. Protesters torched vehicles and severed electric cables, halting train service and creating traffic chaos. The unrest reflected ongoing anger over pension reforms and prior violent incidents.

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