France Erupts in Protests: 295 Arrested Amid Clashes and Fires Over New PM Le Corneille
Members of the BRAV-M, the motorized violent action repression police Brigades, run past a barricade set up by protesters during clashes during a day of protests in Paris as part of a grassroots protest movement called "Bloquons Tout" ("Let's Block Everything") calling for nationwide all-day disruptions, France, September 10, 2025. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier
France is facing a fresh political crisis as massive protests erupted across the country on the day President Emmanuel Macron appointed Sébastien Le Corneille as the new prime minister, led by the “Block Everything” movement.
This is reported by The Associated Press.
The protests began on Wednesday, September 10, and quickly spread from Paris to Marseille, Lille, Nantes, Rennes, and Lyon. In the capital, demonstrators blocked traffic on the ring road, built barricades from garbage bins, and threw objects at police. The most violent clashes occurred near Gare du Nord station. Firefighters extinguished a fire at a restaurant in the city center, which threatened to spread to nearby buildings.
In the western city of Rennes, protesters set fire to a bus, while in the southwest, a fire damaged electrical cables, halting train services. According to the Interior Ministry, more than 180 people had been detained in Paris alone by midday, bringing the total number of arrests nationwide to 295.
The protests marked the first major test for Sébastien Le Corneille, whom President Macron appointed as prime minister following François Bayrou’s resignation. Bayrou’s government collapsed on Monday after failing a confidence vote in parliament.
Le Corneille, who previously headed the Ministry of Defense, now faces an acute financial crisis, with the country under pressure to cut the budget by tens of billions of euros. Bayrou had planned spending cuts and the cancellation of two public holidays—measures that became a catalyst for social unrest.
Protesters in Paris held up anti-government banners reading, “Le Corneille, you’re not welcome here!” and “Tax the rich.” Youth groups and trade unions accused the government of shifting financial burdens onto ordinary citizens instead of taxing the wealthy.
France has experienced a prolonged period of instability. The 2018–2019 “Yellow Vest” protests, the 2022 wave of outrage over pension reform, and the 2023 riots following the killing of a teenager by police have all gradually eroded public trust in the authorities. The current “Block Everything” movement, which emerged on social media over the summer, represents a new phase of this long-standing discontent.
Authorities claim that radical left-wing groups are attempting to exploit the protests to provoke violence. However, online calls for peaceful action suggest that the movement enjoys broad support across social groups, from students to trade unions.
It is worth adding that on the evening of September 9, French President Emmanuel Macron appointed Defense Minister Sébastien Le Corneille as the country’s new prime minister. The appointment followed the fall of François Bayrou’s government after parliament voted no confidence in his cabinet. Le Corneille, a longtime Macron supporter, became France’s fifth prime minister in less than two years.
By the way, on September 9, large-scale protests broke out in Nepal after the government banned social media, which quickly escalated into bloody riots. In the capital, Kathmandu, police opened fire on demonstrators, killing more than 20 people and injuring hundreds. Youth are demanding an end to corruption and censorship, while the country’s Prime Minister, K.P. Sharma Oli, announced his resignation, which caused a deep political crisis.
Recall that in June, mass protests took place in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. The participants of the actions demand the dissolution of the current parliament and the holding of early elections.
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