675 People Arrested In France's 'Block Everything' Demo, This Is The Beginning Of Its Movement

Bloquons Tout's "Block Everything" Demonstration In France/DOK PHOTO Maxlath Via Wikimedia Commons

JAKARTA - The French government detained 675 people, including 280 people in Paris, following a demonstration of "Bloquons Tout" (Block Everything/Block Everything) to reject state budget reforms.

According to the French Interior Ministry, 549 people were arrested by police following a number of incidents that occurred from Wednesday (10/9) to Thursday.

Paris police chief Laurent Nunez said another detention took place after clashes in the French capital, especially at Place des Fetes.

"This morning we arrested 280 people, including a large number who were already in police custody," Nunez said on Thursday as reported by ANTARA from Anadolu.

Nunez declared the demonstration a "failure" because blocking did not occur, although there were not a few attempts to block the road.

His party noted 10 attempts to block the failed Paris ring road, the raid on the Gare du Nord train station which also failed, as well as sporadic actions at schools and bus terminals.

French Senate Chair Gerard Larcher, told BFMTV-RMC media, also calling the demonstration "fail".

However, small-scale protests are still ongoing until Thursday, as well as the blockade at Nantes and University of Sciences Po in Paris which was immediately prevented by the police.

Nunez emphasized that her party would maintain "the same standards, the same vigilance, and the same doctrine" in preventing a blockade from occurring in the next few days.

Meanwhile, a number of trade unions have called for a new wave of demonstrations across France, including protests in Paris, on September 18.

The protest route is still uncertain because the police have not approved the end point of the protests being filed.

Controversial budget plans

The protests by the grassroots movement, which began on social media, called on residents to "block everything" on September 10 to stop all activities in France as a form of protest against the APBN plan proposed by Francois Bayrou when he became prime minister.

The movement was initiated by a small online group "Les Essentiels" calling for "on the 10th, we blockade everything, not to run away, to say no". This movement received momentum after La France Insoumise's left-handed party (LFI) expressed its support.

The French labor union organization also called for mass mobilization on September 18 to reject the proposed Bayrou State Budget.

Political tensions escalated in France after Francois Bayrou failed to defend his government due to losing the vote of trust in the French National Assembly on Monday (8/9).

Bayrou, who has proposed a state budget framework since last July, is trying to attract support for a budget savings plan of up to 44 billion euros to reduce state debt, which currently reaches 113 percent of national gross domestic revenue.

President Emmanuel Macron then appointed defense minister Sebastien Lecornu as the new prime minister on Tuesday (9/9).

Lecornu was assigned to consult with political parties before forming his government.

France is currently facing a budget deficit of 5.8 percent, one of the highest in the European Union.

State Budget negotiations have become a major source of tension between political factions in France.

The failure to reach an agreement in the 2025 State Budget caused the collapse of the Michel Barnier government last December after both the far-right and left-wing parties agreed to support the vote of distrust.

Source: Anadolu