Mass protests sweep France as new prime minister takes office

Authorities reported that 13 police officers were injured in clashes, while more than 260 cases of arson were registered nationwide, including burning barricades. Protesters blocked highways and railways, threw garbage at police, and set fire to property. In Paris, the facade of a restaurant caught fire, while attempts at sabotage targeted railway infrastructure. The SNCF company reported delays in regional traffic and the cancellation of about one-third of trains between Paris airports.

Interior Minister Bruno Retaillo stated that stern measures would be taken against “troublemakers,” noting that 80,000 police officers were deployed nationwide, including 6,000 in the capital. By the evening, more than 470 people had been detained. In Paris alone, nearly 200 arrests were made, with riot police periodically using teargas to disperse crowds.

The movement, known online as “Block Everything!”, had circulated on social media since May. Initially linked to right-wing groups, it was later joined by left-wing and far-left activists. Protesters voiced anger not only against austerity but also against President Emmanuel Macron and the political elite.

“It’s the same, it’s Macron who’s the problem, not the ministers. He has to go,” said Fred, a CGT union official at the Paris transport company RATP, in comments to AP at a protest in Paris.

The unrest coincided with political transition in France. On the same day, former defense minister Sébastien Lecornu was sworn in as prime minister, one day after the National Assembly voted no confidence in François Bayrou’s government. Bayrou had announced a 44-billion-euro budget cut for 2026, sparking widespread anger.

Earlier this week, thousands of mainly young people in Nepal took to the streets of Kathmandu and other major cities in mass protests against the government’s decision to ban major social media platforms.