200 Arrested Amid Nationwide Protests In France Over PM's Ouster, Planned Budget Cuts

Last Updated:September 10, 2025, 14:46 IST

France saw a day of protests over budget cuts and political turmoil, with demonstrators clashing with police and blocking roads. Nearly 200 people were arrested.

French firefighters remove burnt objects from a barricade set up by students to block the traffic near a high school during a day of protests in Paris (Photo: Reuters)

Massive protests unfolded in France on Wednesday, where demonstrators disrupted traffic, burnt down trash bins, and clashed with the police in anger at the political class and planned budget cuts.

The protests were named the ‘Block Everything’ movement, a broad expression of discontent with no centralised leadership and an ad hoc organisation by social media. It initially sprang up in May among right-wing groups, but has since been taken over by the left and far-left, according to Reuters.

According to the Associated Press, nearly 200 people were arrested in the first hours of the planned day of nationwide protests.

Security forces were deployed across the country to clear blockades.

The demonstrations took place at a time of political turmoil, two days after the country’s Parliament ousted Prime Minister Francois Bayrou in a confidence vote over his plans to tame the country’s ballooning debt.

On Tuesday, President Emmanuel Macron appointed his fifth Prime Minister in less than two years, choosing a close ally, Sebastien Lecornu, a move that outraged left-wing politicians.

In the western city of Nantes, protesters blocked a highway with burning tires and bins. Police used teargas to disperse people trying to occupy a roundabout in the same city.

In Montpellier, in the southwest, police scuffled with protesters who had set up a barricade to block traffic at a roundabout.

Police used teargas to disperse the protesters, some of whom threw various objects at them.

Vani Mehrotra

Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks.

Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks.

News world 200 Arrested Amid Nationwide Protests In France Over PM's Ouster, Planned Budget Cuts

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