Nearly 300 arrested in France protests against cuts

ParisFrance is experiencing a day of social mobilizations this Wednesday to protest the cuts intended to be implemented by the government that fell on Monday. Although this Tuesday the president Macron appointed a new prime minister, the protest has continued. With the slogan "Let's block everything," the movement that called for the mobilization—which emerged on social media and is linked to left-wing social movements—wanted to block the country and called on citizens to stay home: neither go to work, nor go shopping, nor take their children to school. Finally, there have been numerous clashes between police and protesters in different parts of France, although the mobilization's turnout is low and the country has not come to a standstill.

Nevertheless, thousands of people have taken to the streets to protest, and since early morning there have been incidents in Paris and other cities across the country, such as Lyon, Bordeaux, Rennes, Nantes, and Toulouse. At various points, groups of protesters have blocked roads, around thirty schools, and the entrances to some businesses. According to the acting Minister of the Interior, Bruno Retailleau, nearly 300 arrests have been made, the majority in Paris and its metropolitan area.

Building fire

The government has deployed 80,000 officers across the country on an unprecedented scale to prevent incidents. In Paris, riots have erupted in tourist spots, such as around the Les Halles shopping center, which has had to close its doors due to fears of looting. One of the most spectacular images was a fire that broke out in the early afternoon in a restaurant building near Les Halles while police were charging at a group of protesters. The restaurant, located at street level, was quickly evacuated, and there were no injuries.

"The mobilization has nothing to do with a citizen mobilization. It has been distorted, appropriated, seized by the far-left movement with the support of the movement unsubmissive", denounced Retailleau, the most conservative minister in the government. The mobilization has had the support of unions and left-wing parties, such as La France Insoumise (LFI) and environmentalists. "Be cautious and alert. Retailleau is looking for incidents and increases provocations. Be careful, he likes repression and wants images of violence for the news," replied the leader of the insubordinatesJean-Luc Mélenchon, to the Minister of the Interior.

Despite the low citizen participation, the mobilization has affected the operation of public transport, museums, and tourist attractions. The Musée d'Orsay, one of the most visited in Paris, has closed all day, while the Louvre has reopened but many galleries remain closed. Train lines in the Paris metropolitan area have also been affected by the social unrest.

Amid the protests

The street demonstrations against the previous government's budget proposal coincided with the inauguration of Sébastien Lecornu as the new prime minister. The President of the Republic appointed him on Tuesday, and today the transfer of power between the previous head of government, François Bayrou, and Lecornu took place. The new prime minister pledged to meet with political parties and unions in the coming days and promised to govern differently. "Breaks will be necessary in form, but also in substance," he stated in his first remarks as head of government. Lecornu will begin consultations this week to form a new government.

The new prime minister faces the challenge of presenting a new budget proposal in the coming weeks to stem social protests. Wednesday's demonstrations began in response to the cuts in the previous budgets and threaten to become even more significant if the new government does not reverse measures such as eliminating two public holidays for all workers without any financial compensation. Following Wednesday's protests, France will experience a general strike on September 18. It will be Lecornu's first as prime minister.

The appointment of a new head of government from the right—currently from Macron's centrist party but previously from Les Républicains—has angered all left-wing parties. Lecornu will have to present a budget that is sensitive to the demands of the left if he wants to avoid a vote of no confidence. If the left-wing bloc and the far right reach an agreement, they could bring down the future new government. "Either there is a split or there is no confidence," warned the president of the National Rally (RN), Jordan Bardella.