French President Emmanuel Macron has appointed Sebastien Lecornu as the country's fifth prime minister in less than two years, following the resignation of Francois Bayrou.
Lecornu is set to take office on Wednesday just as France saw widespread protests led by a left-wing grassroots movement known as "Block Everything" (Bloquons tout). Analysts say Lecornu faces a baptism of fire, faced with a twin challenge - managing a politically fractured parliament and a highly mobilised public against the government's spending cuts and austerity measures.
In Rennes, demonstrators set a bus on fire and caused damage to a power line in the southwest. Around 200 arrests have taken place so far, authorities said.
What Is The "Block Everything" Movement?
The "Block Everything" collective is a citizen-led movement calling for boycott, civil disobedience, and solidarity in response to government policies. Unlike traditional strikes led by unions or political parties, the movement is independent, organised primarily through social media platforms such as X, TikTok, Telegram, and Facebook.
Supporters are using hashtags like #10septembre2025 and #10septembre to spread their message, encouraging actions such as:
- Boycotting major retailers like Carrefour, Amazon, and Auchan.
- Withdrawing money from banks
- Peaceful occupation of symbolic sites like town halls.
- Organising neighbourhood assemblies and strike funds.
Although the protests did not fully achieve their self-declared goal of "blocking everything," they caused widespread disruption and showed growing public anger.
Why Are People Protesting?
The immediate trigger is Francois Bayrou's 2026 budget, which proposes:
- Cutting 43.8 million Francs from the national budget
- Reducing the country's deficit
- Removing two national holidays
- Freezing pensions
- Slashing 5 billion Francs from healthcare
Who Supports It And Who Doesn't?
- Supporters: Predominantly left-wing voters, with 69 per cent of surveyed supporters having voted for former parliamentarian Jen-Luc Melenchon in the 2022 election.
- Opposition: Major unions have largely refused to participate, citing alternative strike dates (September 18). Only the hard-left CGT union is formally backing the protests.
Even before September 10, the protests caused significant disruption across the country. Demonstrators attempted to block highways in Bordeaux, while a cable fire in Toulouse affected rail traffic. Early actions in Paris led to 75 arrests, and the highway operator Vinci reported blockages in Marseille, Montpellier, Nantes, and Lyon.
To manage the unrest, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau confirmed that 80,000 security personnel had been deployed nationwide.
Why Francois Bayrou Resigned
Nine months into his term after failing to secure support in the National Assembly for his deficit-cutting budget, Francois Bayrou quit the PM's office. He had replaced Michel Barnier, who also stepped down in December after losing a no-confidence vote.
With no clear solution to the parliamentary deadlock, some parties, including far-right leader Marine Le Pen, called for fresh elections.
