France unrest: 'Block everything' protests turn violent; nearly 300 arrested - in pics

President Emmanuel Macron is under pressure as he appointed a new prime minister, which caused a "block everything" rally in France. Macron faced an immediate challenge from the protestors as he was appointing Sébastien Lecornu as his new prime minister on Tuesday.

In the early hours of a planned day of nationwide protests against Macron, budget cuts, and other grievances, the government's interior ministry confirmed 300 arrests. Despite not achieving its stated goal of "Blocking Everything," the protest movement disobeyed an extraordinary police presence of 80,000 officers who quickly dismantled barricades and made arrests.

In Paris and other parts of France, protesters blocked highways, set fires, and were attacked with tear gas on Wednesday. In the western city of Rennes, a bus was set on fire. According to federal transportation officials, fire damage to electrical lines in the southwest halted train operation on one line and caused traffic disruptions on another.

In order to control France's mounting deficit and trillions of debt, Bayrou was drafting proposals to drastically cut public spending by 44 billion euros ($51 billion) as the protests broke out. Additionally, he suggested removing two official holidays from the country's yearly calendar, a move that was met with extreme opposition.

Over the summer, the "Block Everything" or "Bloquons Tout" campaign gained traction on social media and in encrypted chats. It's a demand for a day of protests, boycotts, blockades, strikes, and other actions.

Police used tear gas to disperse demonstrators who attempted to block the Paris beltway on multiple occasions during the morning rush hour. Demonstrators threw objects at police officers and stacked garbage cans in other parts of the capital. Throughout the morning, 159 arrests were reported by Paris police.

From the port city of Marseille in the south to Lille and Caen in the north, Nantes and Rennes in the west, and Grenoble and Lyon in the southeast, there were numerous protests, including road blockades and traffic slowdowns.

Compared to earlier episodes of unrest that have periodically shaken Macron throughout his first and current second term as president, the protests seem to be less severe thus far. During 2018–2019, he was met with months of yellow vest protests against economic injustice across the country. Macron faced it due to his unpopular pension measure after he was reelected in 2022, and he saw widespread unrest and riots in 2023 following the fatal police shooting of a teenager on the outskirts of Paris.

Demonstrations and sporadic clashes with riot police in Paris and elsewhere on Wednesday added to a sense of crisis that has again gripped France following its latest government collapse on Monday, when Prime Minister François Bayrou lost a parliamentary confidence vote.

Macron's governments have been on particularly shaky ground since he dissolved the National Assembly last year, triggering an unscheduled legislative election that stacked the lower house of parliament with opponents of the French president. This has gripped France with a prolonged cycle of instability.

As the next prime minister and former defense minister, Lecornu must deal with France's budgetary issues while dealing with the same political unrest and anti-Macron sentiment that ultimately led to Bayrou's downfall.