Demonstrators vented their anger against French President Emmanuel Macron, who is facing political turmoil after the parliamentary opposition united to defeat his government on Monday.
Despite the deployment of tens of thousands of security forces, protests continued across the country, with officials reporting blockades and scuffles. In Paris, police fired tear gas on youths blocking a high school and stopped about 1,000 protesters from entering a train station. Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau reported that a bus was torched in the western city of Rennes and warned that scheduled rallies could turn violent.
The protests reflect popular discontent with France’s dysfunctional political elite and a painful gospel of austerity. The “Block Everything” movement, which started online among right-wing groups, has since been adopted by the left and far-left. The movement has drawn comparisons to the 2018 “Yellow Vest” protests, which also began over economic issues and broadened into a larger movement against Macron’s policies.
The protests were fueled by anger over budget cuts proposed by the former prime minister, François Bayrou, whose government was toppled by a no-confidence vote on Monday. A teacher at a protest in Paris said, “Bayrou was ousted, (now) his policies must be eliminated,” calling for more funding for schools and hospitals.
Macron has appointed a close ally, conservative Sébastien Lecornu, as his new prime minister. Lecornu, who had been the defense minister, took office promising a “profound break” with past policies and a “more creative” approach to working with opposition parties. However, critics see his appointment as a sign that Macron intends to continue his pro-business, austerity-focused agenda.
Lecornu now faces the same challenge as his predecessor: gaining enough support from a divided parliament to pass a budget. The hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) party has already announced a no-confidence motion against him. The political instability is the result of Macron’s decision to call snap elections in 2024, which left his government without a majority in a fractured parliament. Lecornu is the fifth French prime minister in less than two years.
