Paris, France – France is experiencing widespread protests fueled by public anger towards President Emmanuel Macron’s government.

Demonstrators clashed with police, blocked roads, and set fires in Paris and other cities, intensifying public anger against the government and its austerity measures.

Authorities confirmed that more than 200 people were arrested during the first hours of unrest, as thousands poured onto the streets under the banner of the “Block Everything” movement.

The protests are part of a grassroots movement called “Bloquons Tout” or “Block Everything,” which seeks to use work strikes, blockades, and other acts of defiance to express long-simmering anger over the government and its austerity measures.

Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau reported that a bus was set on fire in the western city of Rennes and that damage to a power line had blocked trains in the southwest.

Over 80,000 police officers have been deployed across the nation to prevent large-scale disorder. Despite this, protesters erected barricades, lit fires, and staged demonstrations across multiple regions.

Garbage bins were set alight in Paris, while commuters reported blockages on key thoroughfares. The 80,000 police deployed across the nation responded with bouts of tear gas and detainments.

The plan to “block everything” emerged after former Prime Minister Francois Bayrou lost a confidence vote on Monday and Macron named close ally, Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu, to replace him.

Florent, a protester in Lyon, told newsmen that Macron’s decision to appoint his close ally to the top job “is a slap in the face”. “We are tired of his successive governments; we need change,” he said.

The Block Everything movement, which has gone viral on social media, has been fueled by increased dismay over budget-tightening policies that Bayrou championed, as well as broader concerns with poverty and inequality, which have risen sharply in recent years, according to France’s statistics bureau.

Its spontaneity is reminiscent of the “Yellow Vest” movement that rocked Macron’s first term as president, when yellow-clad protesters across the nation challenged rising fuel prices and pro-business policies for weeks on end in protests that became increasingly violent.

The protests have caused significant disruptions to daily life, with road blockages, train cancellations, and disruptions to public transportation.

The RER B line, linking central Paris to Charles de Gaulle Airport, was disrupted, forcing passengers to rely on shuttle buses and taxis. Sud Aérien, a union representing airline staff, maintenance workers, and ground agents, urged members to strike and called for a rally at Charles de Gaulle Airport.

The protests are expected to continue for at least two days, with unions threatening further strike action later in September. The largest air traffic controllers’ union has already announced a 24-hour walkout on September 18, raising fears of another wave of travel chaos.

The government has responded to the protests by deploying a massive police presence, with over 80,000 officers across the country.

Authorities have also taken steps to maintain essential services, with metro and bus services running almost normally in Paris.

However, protesters vowed to continue mobilizing in the coming weeks, arguing that the government’s austerity plans would deepen social hardship.

The appointment of Lecornu, a one-time conservative, risks alienating France’s centre-left Socialist Party.

Analysts warn that with parliament deeply fractured between left-wing coalitions, centrists, and the far right, Lecornu may face the same fate as his predecessors.

The “Block Everything” protests in France have brought the country to a standstill, with widespread disruptions to daily life and significant economic impacts.

The protests are a manifestation of deep-seated frustrations with the government and its austerity measures, and it remains to be seen how the situation will unfold in the coming days and weeks.