France Gets New PM As 'Block Everything' Protests Rage; 250 Arrested

Paris: France was gripped by nationwide protests on Wednesday as demonstrators clashed with police, blocked roads and set fires in Paris and other cities, intensifying public anger against President Emmanuel Macron and his government. Authorities confirmed that more than 250 people were arrested during the initial hours of unrest, as thousands poured onto the streets under the banner of the "Block Everything" movement.

Security forces were deployed across the country, officials said, adding France was, for now, not blocked. Many demonstrators vented their anger against Macron, who is already facing political turmoil after the parliamentary opposition united to defeat his government on Monday.
"...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, adding, "The ministers, it's a problem, but it's more Macron and his way of working, which means he has to go."

In Paris, police fired tear gas on youth protesters blocking the entrance to a high school and firefighters removed burnt objects from a barricade.

Police said they had stopped a large group of about 1,000 protesters from entering the Gare du Nord train station in the city.

Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau told reporters that protesters had torched a bus in the western city of Rennes. He also said some protesters had attacked police with heavy cobblestones, but did not specify where.

Retailleau warned that protest rallies scheduled for later in the day could be infiltrated by hard-line, ultra-left groups and become violent.

The "Block Everything" movement, a broad expression of discontent with no centralised leadership and an ad hoc organisation by social media, sprung up online in May among right-wing groups, researchers and officials, but has since been taken over by the left and far-left.

Parliament ousted Prime Minister Francois Bayrou in a confidence vote over his plans to tame the country's ballooning debt. Macron appointed his fifth prime minister in less than two years on Tuesday, picking a close ally, Sebastien Lecornu, which outraged left-wing politicians.

A teacher taking part in the protests in Paris said he was against the ousted government's planned budget cuts. "Bayrou was ousted, (now) his policies must be eliminated," said Christophe Lalande, calling for more funding for schools and hospitals.

At another protest in the city, unionist Amar Lagha said: "This day is a message to all the workers of this country: that there is no resignation, the fight continues, and a message to this government that we won’t back down, and if we have to die, we'll die standing."

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The "Block Everything" movement reflects popular discontent with what protesters deem a dysfunctional ruling elite preaching a painful gospel of austerity. It is drawing comparisons to the 2018 "Yellow Vest" protests, which arose over fuel price hikes but morphed into a broader movement against Macron and his plans for economic reform.