French police launch nationwide operations to clear protest blockades

Acting French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau announced that security forces are conducting operations across the country to restore access to key sites blocked by protesters, French broadcaster BFMTV reports.

Retailleau said the demonstrations were undermining the public’s right to free movement, stressing that authorities would act to reopen affected areas.

The protests, organised under the slogan “Let’s Block Everything,” have drawn significant participation. Officials estimate that over 700 separate actions are expected nationwide, involving around 200,000 people.

Among the demonstrators, observers noted the presence of former “Yellow Vest” activists, signalling a revival of disruptive protest tactics that paralysed France during the 2018–2019 movement.

To ensure order, the government has deployed 80,000 police and gendarmes throughout the country.

On September 10, 2025, France was paralysed by a nationwide action dubbed “Block Everything” (Bloquons tout), aimed at disrupting transport, public services, and daily life. The protests erupted just after Parliament ousted Prime Minister François Bayrou, who had proposed sweeping austerity measures, including slashing €43.8 billion from public spending, freezing pensions, and cutting healthcare, sparking widespread public fury.

Initially born out of fringe online groups, the movement rapidly gained momentum across the political spectrum—including left-wing parties and major trade unions—through ad hoc organisation via Telegram and other social media platforms. Demonstrators blocked roads, railways, and schools in cities such as Paris, Nantes, Montpellier, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Rennes, and Marseille; fires raged in barricades and rubbish bins, and clashes broke out with police.

The government responded with force—80,000 police and gendarmes were deployed nationwide, resulting in hundreds of arrests: Reuters reported nearly 200 arrests, AP cited over 450, and in Paris alone, arrests ranged from approximately 183 to nearly 300. Riot police disbanded barricades, used tear gas, and attempted to prevent disruptions on vital routes like highways and train stations, with infrastructure impacts including train delays and fires

By Khagan Isayev