TNI Bureau: Protests swept across France on Tuesday as citizens rallied against government austerity measures under a grassroots campaign called “Block Everything.” The unrest coincided with President Emmanuel Macron appointing Sebastien Lecornu as the country’s new Prime Minister following the resignation of Francois Bayrou.
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Demonstrators disrupted transport, set fire to a bus in Rennes, and damaged a power line in the southwest. Authorities reported about 200 arrests, with 80,000 security personnel deployed nationwide.
The “Block Everything” movement, organised largely via social media, promotes boycotts, civil disobedience, and symbolic occupations. Protesters oppose the proposed 2026 budget that seeks to cut 43.8 million francs, freeze pensions, slash healthcare spending by five billion francs, and remove two national holidays. While the left-wing CGT union supports the protests, most major unions have scheduled separate strike actions later in September. Analysts say Lecornu, the fifth prime minister in under two years, faces a difficult task in managing both a divided parliament and rising public anger.
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