Police arrest over 200 as 'Block Everything' protesters paralyse life in France

Paris, Sep 10 French police authorities have arrested over 200 people as 'Block Everything' protesters continued to create ruckus in the country, two days after the collapse of Prime Minister Francois Bayrou's government over unpopular austerity steps.

French authorities deployed 80,000 police officers and Gendarmes as thousands of protesters lit fires, established barricades and attempted to block ring road in Paris, Europe's busiest urban motorway, Euro News reported on Wednesday. As many as 95 arrests were reported in the prefecture in Paris area and eight outside the capital by mid-morning on Wednesday.

Protesters at Porte de Montreuil in eastern Paris set rubbish bins on fire and tried to stop tram tracks before police removed the obstacles and dispersed crowds. Protesters also reached the highway in attempts to block traffic. However, the law enforcement personnel stopped them from doing so. Tensions have escalated around Paris' Gare du Nord, one of Europe’s busiest train stations, where a few hundred people gathered by 10:30 am (local time). Police closed the way to the train station as the demonstrators made attempts to enter the area. The law enforcement have used teargas on the protesters, with some passengers getting caught in the chaos.

"I am protesting today because we are sick of it all. Today, we are here to show Macron that we’re done with all of this. He can’t just keep ignoring us and what the people want," Euronews quoted a protestor as saying.

According to reports, protests were organised through social media and Telegram channels after Bayrou's government collapsed on Monday and French President Emmanuel Macron's swift appointment of long-time ally Sebastien Lecornu as the new PM.

The protests gained momentum due to anger over inflation, austerity measures and what supporters term a "dysfunctional political class". In contrast to the structured 2018 Yellow Vests protests, 'Block Everything' began this summer with less organisation but significant support online.

Two major unions, CGT and SUD, offered support to protests on Wednesday while broader strikes are planned to take place on September 18. An Ipsos poll revealed 46 per cent of French people backed Wednesday movement, including many on the left but also more than half of far-right National Rally voters. Healthcare and pharmacy workers are also protesting against medical reimbursements reduction, with unions warning that 6,000 of France's 20,000 pharmacies could be shut.

People in France have expressed outrage over collapsed Bayrou government's proposals to slash two bank holidays and to reduce France's public deficit among other measures. Some protesters called for Macron to dissolve the National Assembly and call snap polls.

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