French police arrested dozens of people on Wednesday as protesters from a new movement calling itself “Block Everything” staged demonstrations on highways across the country, disrupting traffic and drawing comparisons to the 2018 Yellow Vest uprising.
The protests, organised largely through social media, began overnight with scattered blockades in Paris and intensified in cities including Bordeaux, Toulouse, Marseille, Montpellier, Nantes and Lyon.
Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said about 50 hooded demonstrators attempted to start a blockade in Bordeaux, while in Toulouse a cable fire, quickly contained, caused traffic disruption. Vinci, a major highway operator, also reported disruptions nationwide.
Paris police confirmed at least 75 arrests linked to the protests but gave no details on locations or charges. Authorities deployed 80,000 security forces nationwide, including 6,000 in the capital, amid warnings that up to 100,000 people could join the movement.
The Block Everything campaign, which officials say began among right-wing groups but has since been taken over by left and far-left activists, denounces France’s political system as unfit for purpose.
The unrest comes just days after parliament ousted Prime Minister François Bayrou in a confidence vote, prompting President Emmanuel Macron to appoint his fifth premier in less than two years, Sébastien Lecornu.
France’s fragile political climate may add fuel to the demonstrations. The far-left France Unbowed party has already vowed to table a no-confidence motion against Lecornu, while the far-right National Rally has signalled a willingness to cooperate with him for now.
“We risk having a mobilisation that will lead to actions all over the country,” Interior Minister Retailleau warned.
Source: Reuters
Written By Rodney Mbua
