At least 200 people were arrested across France on Wednesday as the newly launched “Block Everything” movement staged its first wave of nationwide protests against government austerity measures and budget proposals.

According to police reports cited by BFM TV, 75 individuals were detained in Paris alone, while eight others were arrested in other cities. More than 1,000 protesters took part in over 30 separate demonstrations nationwide, including in Marseille and Lyon, where groups overturned trash bins, blocked key roads, and disrupted traffic. Several Parisian high schools were also shut down as students joined the demonstrations.

The “Block Everything” campaign, initiated by a grassroots online collective called Les Essentiels, aims to paralyze daily life in protest of the government’s new budget plan. “On September 10, we stop everything, not to escape, to say no,” the group declared in its launch statement. The movement has quickly gained political backing, most notably from the leftist France Unbowed (LFI) party.

Organizers expect more than 100,000 people to participate in the protest actions throughout the day, marking one of the most significant escalations of public dissent against the government’s austerity agenda in recent years.

The protests come at a moment of heightened political instability. On Monday, outgoing Prime Minister François Bayrou lost a vote of confidence in the National Assembly, a result of widespread opposition to his proposed 2026 budget, which sought to cut €44 billion in public spending. France’s public debt currently stands at 113% of GDP, among the highest in the European Union.

In response to the political fallout, President Emmanuel Macron appointed Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu as the new prime minister on Tuesday. Lecornu is now tasked with forming a new government and consulting with political parties in an attempt to stabilize the situation.

Budget-related infighting has become a recurring feature of French politics. Just last year, the collapse of Michel Barnier’s government was triggered by a failed attempt to pass the 2025 budget, after both far-left and far-right parties united in a no-confidence vote.

Alongside the grassroots campaign, France’s major trade unions have announced a national day of mobilization on September 18, signaling a broader and more coordinated resistance to the government’s economic policies.

As tensions continue to mount, the coming weeks are expected to test the durability of the “Block Everything” movement and the ability of the Macron administration to restore both political and economic stability in an increasingly polarized France. (ILKHA)