Nationwide unrest exploded in France on Wednesday as tens of thousands of demonstrators blocked roads, set fires and clashed with police who responded with tear gas — an angry welcome for new Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu on the heels of François Bayrou’s ouster.
France was convulsed by protests and disruption on Wednesday as a cross-section of activists, students and striking workers staged city-wide actions to denounce the country’s political class just as President Emmanuel Macron installed Sébastien Lecornu as prime minister.
The interior ministry said 473 people were detained across the country as police scrambled to contain a wave of blockades and clashes. Some 80,000 officers were deployed nationwide, including 6,000 in Paris. Education officials reported about 100 schools were disrupted and 27 fully blockaded.
Lecornu, a Macron loyalist and former defence minister, took office after François Bayrou was toppled in a confidence vote over an unpopular €44 billion savings plan that would trim public spending and scrap two public holidays. Critics argued appointing Lecornu amounted to a “baptism of fire” given the already high tensions.
The protests — billed online under the loose banner “Block Everything” — saw demonstrators choke major ring roads in Bordeaux, Rennes, Nantes and Caen. In Rennes a bus was ransacked and set alight, while in Paris a restaurant in the 1st arrondissement was torched during clashes. CNN crews observed protesters briefly obstructing the area outside Gare du Nord, one of the capital’s busiest hubs, before police moved in.
“We’re angry, we’re very angry,” said Anna, a 29-year-old researcher at a Paris rally. “What’s the point in voting? We feel like the government isn’t listening to us.” Another protester, 27-year-old Adèle Aubert, said she had turned out to “denounce” the new government and warned petitions and other measures had been ignored.
A spokeswoman for the Jefferson-style actions said the movement grew organically on social media this year — initially emerging from right-wing groups but later largely taken over by left and far-left activists. Organisers and unions have already signalled a bigger, nationwide strike for Sept. 18 when trade unions plan to mobilise across sectors.
The mood on the ground alternated between orchestrated disruption and spontaneous anger. In Châtelet, thousands gathered while elsewhere small groups occupied public buildings. Police used tear gas in several cities to push back crowds. Video from the scenes showed protesters hauling bins into streets, setting fires and confronting riot units in full gear.
Teachers and public sector workers were among those who downed tools to join demonstrations. “I’m on strike for both social and economic reasons,” said Elodie, a 34-year-old kindergarten teacher in Paris. She said she objected to what she described as policies that would “dismantle the public system” without asking wealthy households and large companies to contribute more.
The political fallout continues to complicate President Macron’s options. After a snap election last year that left parliament fractured, the president has struggled to find a stable governing coalition — a reality that critics say has fed public frustration and fuelled the momentum behind the day’s actions.
As France braces for further industrial action and mass protests later this month, Wednesday’s unrest offered a stark snapshot of a country deeply divided over economic priorities and the direction of its government — and of a new prime minister who now faces an immediate test of authority on streets already smoldering with anger.
