Let's block everything: A wave of protests has swept France

France was hit by a powerful wave of protests, during which protesters burned bonfires, blocked roads, damaged electrical cables and disabled semaphores. All this happened against the background of citizens' dissatisfaction with the economic policy of the government of the country. For more information about the protests, as well as their causes and consequences, see the Izvestia article.

Protests in France on September 10: what is known

Demonstrations that began the day before continue in France on September 11. In Paris, protesters blocked the entrance to some schools and universities. There were also clashes with police in Nantes, and the security forces had to use batons.

Mass protests under the slogan "Block everything" began in many French cities on Wednesday, September 10. It was expected that at least 100,000 people across the country would join them. In reality, the Interior Ministry estimates that about 200,000 demonstrators took to the streets. Since early morning, protesters have been blocking roads, interchanges and tram tracks. Construction barriers and debris were used for this purpose. Access to some educational institutions was also blocked.

— in Paris, the protesters, in addition to blocking roads, were able to capture the Gare de Lyon. About 400 people took part in the action, who broke into the building, occupied the waiting rooms and then headed for the subway.;

— In Lille (northern France), protesters blocked the ring road. Traffic was restored only after police intervention.;

— in Brest (in the west), demonstrators took to the roundabout in clown costumes and staged a demonstration;

— a bus was set on fire in Rennes (northwest), which blocked traffic on the ring road.

The protesters chanted slogans that touched on different spheres of life. Some demanded that the rights of feminists be respected, while others insulted the authorities and the police. The protesters also accused the government and politicians of being disconnected from the realities of life and the problems of ordinary people. They demanded to pay attention to domestic politics and spend money on maintaining hospitals and transport, rather than on armaments.

Some of the loudest statements were related to the demand for the resignation of French President Emmanuel Macron, as well as higher taxes for the rich.

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Police detachments were sent to fight the demonstrators, about 80,000 employees were involved in law enforcement, and about 6,000 in the capital. Some of the protests led to clashes with security forces, who used tear gas. It is reported that about 50 operations were carried out to suppress the protests.

According to the latest data, 675 people were detained across the country, 280 of them in Paris. A total of 549 demonstrators were taken into custody. 34 law enforcement officials were slightly injured.

According to Acting Interior Minister Bruno Retaio, law enforcement officers were able to prevent the blockade of France.

"We have disrupted this strategy. The blockers did not block France. There were very, very many attempts, which were sometimes violent... Our law enforcement forces reacted very quickly to what was happening and prevented the blockade of the country," he said.

Russian Senator Vladimir Dzhabarov reacted to what is happening in France in his Telegram channel. He wrote that these protests show how the scheme of maintaining the new European order based on the rules of Brussels is beginning to fail. France itself is going through a severe crisis.

He also added that Macron, "carried away by narcissism and Russophobia," completely missed the events in his country.

"He surrounded himself with supporters of the conflict with our country. These were the Russophobic premiers Gabriel Attal and Francois Bayrou. Such is the new French Prime Minister, a staunch Macron supporter and notable Russophobe Lecorn. The opinion of the French, including regarding the foreign policy course, means nothing to Macron," he wrote.

The reasons for the protests in France

The reason for the protests in French cities was dissatisfaction with the government's economic policy. It is important to note that calls for "blocking the country" began to appear back in May, but they became most widespread in July after the draft law on the budget for 2026 by then-Prime Minister Francois Bayrou (he left office on September 9 after a vote of no confidence was passed on him).

Among his suggestions were:

— savings on a number of budget items of €43.8 billion instead of €40 billion;

— cancellation of indexation of pensions and social benefits;

— the budget of government agencies other than the Ministry of Defense will not grow. It was reported that the defense ministry will receive an additional 3.5 billion euros due to the deteriorating security situation in the world.

Bayrou also made a statement at the time that "the French need to work harder" to reduce the budget deficit. In this context, he suggested making some public holidays working days, for example, Victory Day over Fascism on May 8.