ISTANBUL
Nearly 300 people were arrested across France on Wednesday as the “Block Everything” movement brought parts of the country to a standstill, according to the Interior Ministry.
About 295 arrests had been made nationwide, including 183 in Paris, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said.
Four members of the security forces were reported slightly injured, the French news broadcaster BFMTV reported.
Of the arrests in Paris, 63 people were placed in police custody, according to the Paris prosecutor’s office.
Authorities said 430 protest actions were underway across the country, including 273 rallies and 157 blockades.
The ministry added that by midday, 105 street fires had been recorded. Some 80,000 police officers and gendarmes were deployed nationwide.
Retailleau said the mobilization was “not a citizen mobilization,” but rather “hijacked, confiscated and captured by far-left and ultra-left movements, and supported by the rebel movement.”
He condemned what he called “unacceptable acts.”
In Paris, tensions escalated near Gare du Nord station, where police foiled an intrusion attempt by about 1,000 protesters.
Around 300 masked demonstrators later gathered outside the station, forcing security forces to close some access points. Similar attempted station intrusions were reported in Marseille and Montpellier.
A restaurant is also engulfed in flames in the Les Halles district of Paris. Police and gendarmes evacuated the people.
Elsewhere, a cable fire disrupted train traffic between Toulouse and Auch in the Occitanie region, while in Bordeaux, around 50 hooded individuals attempted to block a tram depot, before being dispersed by police.
Blockades and road disruptions were reported in several major cities, including Lyon, Nantes, Rennes and Rouen.
In Rennes, armored vehicles were deployed to clear access to the city’s ring road after protesters looted and set fire to a bus, which later exploded.
In Montpellier, police used water cannons to disperse demonstrators who gathered as part of the national “Block Everything” action.
The Musee d’Orsay museum in Paris was closed entirely, while only a few rooms of the Louvre Museum remained open to visitors.
High schools were also affected: around 100 were disrupted and 27 fully blocked, particularly in Paris, Montpellier, Rennes, and Lille.
Student protests were reported in Paris, Rennes, Grenoble, Montpellier, Toulouse, Lyon, Mulhouse, and Nice, according to the student union UNEF.
In Paris, the Forum des Halles shopping center was closed after calls for looting, while metro and RER trains temporarily stopped serving the station.
In Paris, near the Gare du Nord railway station, tensions increased as protesters directly confronted the police.
More than 100,000 people were expected to participate in France’s “Block Everything” movement on Wednesday.
Controversial national budget plan
The grassroots protest that started on social media urged citizens to “Block Everything” on Sept. 10 with the aim of bringing the country to a halt in opposition to outgoing Prime Minister Francois Bayrou’s national budget plan.
Gaining momentum with the support of the far-left France Unbowed (LFI) party, the movement originated with a small online group “Les Essentiels,” saying: “On Sept. 10, we stop everything, not to escape, to say no.”
Meanwhile, French trade union organizations also called for a day of mobilization across the country on Sept. 18 to protest Bayrou’s budget proposals.
France is facing mounting political tensions as Bayrou lost a confidence vote in the National Assembly on Monday.
Bayrou, who unveiled a 2026 budget framework in July, was seeking support for a plan to save nearly €44 billion ($51 billion) as part of efforts to reduce France’s soaring public debt, now at 113% of its GDP.
French President Emmanuel Macron appointed Armed Forces Minister Sebastien Lecornu as the country’s new prime minister on Tuesday. He has been tasked with holding consultations with political parties before forming his government.
France has one of the EU’s largest budget deficits at 5.8%.
Budget negotiations have been a major source of tension in French politics.
The failure to reach an agreement on the 2025 budget last year led to the collapse of the Michel Barnier government in December, after left-wing and far-right parties united behind a no-confidence motion.