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3d ago

Lecornu Takes Office as 'Block Everything' Protests Sweep France

His first task is to deliver a contentious 2026 budget through a fractured parliament under threat of no-confidence.

Police officers in riot gear clash with demonstrators gathering in Paris.
TOPSHOT - Protesters set up a fire to block the Cadix viaduct during a demonstration as part of the "Bloquons tout" ("Let's block everything") protest movement, in Caen, north-western France, on September 10, 2025. The broad anti-government campaign, dubbed "Bloquons tout" ("Let's block everything"), calls for a a shutdown of France on September 10 with a string of protest actions and civil disobedience around the country, while the handover of power between the new Prime Minister and his predecessor, who suffered a crushing loss in a confidence vote on September 8, is scheduled for the same day at noon. (Photo by Lou BENOIST / AFP) (Photo by LOU BENOIST/AFP via Getty Images)
‘Block Everything’ protest in France | Image: AP
French firefighters remove burnt objects from a barricade set up by students to block the traffic near a high school 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

Overview

  • Authorities deployed about 80,000 police nationwide as decentralized actions disrupted roads, rail and airports in a leaderless protest wave.
  • The Interior Ministry reported 473 arrests by evening, including 203 in Paris, with 339 people in custody and 13 officers lightly injured.
  • Officials cited a bus set on fire in Rennes and power-line damage that halted trains in the southwest among incidents recorded during the unrest.
  • Lecornu pledged a “rupture” and more “creative” methods to assemble support for a slimmer 2026 budget due by Oct. 7, with leeway until Oct. 13.
  • The hard left plans an immediate no-confidence motion, the National Rally signals conditional backing on its terms, and an Ipsos poll shows about 46% support for the shutdown call.