France has recently been plagued by mounting debt, forcing the government to cut spending and triggering political and social unrest. Although President Macron appointed Le Croup, the fifth Prime Minister in two years, on the 9th, the public's anger has not subsided. On the 10th, large-scale demonstrations in response to the slogan"Lock down everything" broke out in various places. It is estimated that nearly 200,000 people took to the streets, and the authorities mobilized more than 80,000 people to maintain order. At least 300 people were arrested across France.
Reuters reported that large-scale demonstrations took place across France, including the capital Paris, on the 10th. Protesters set up roadblocks on highways, burned items to block traffic, and had sporadic clashes with riot police. It is estimated that nearly 200,000 people took to the streets. Although the outgoing Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau admitted that the protests were"huge", he also said that"those who tried to hinder the advancement of national affairs did not succeed."
(Further reading: French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Blanc was overwhelmingly dismissed by Parliament; Macron to announce his successor within days)
(Extended Reading: French President Macron Appoints 39-Year-Old Defense Minister as Prime Minister, Fifth Cabinet Change in Two Years)
The report pointed out that this large-scale demonstration highlighted the public's dissatisfaction with the so-called dysfunctional ruling authorities. The budget plan proposed by the previous cabinet to cut spending by 44 billion euros (about NT$1.56 trillion) was the key to triggering the protests. Outside the Paris railway hub, Gare du Nord, hundreds of young people held up the French tricolor flag and banners reading"Republic of the Rich Elite" and chanted slogans against Emmanuel Macron.
In the western city of Nantes, protesters blocked a highway by piling up tires and setting them on fire, while police fired tear gas in an attempt to disperse the protesters who had occupied a major traffic artery.
The report pointed out that the French government mobilized more than 80,000 people in various places to maintain order. Although most of the protests were peaceful, sporadic conflicts still occurred and more than 300 people were arrested across the country. France’s current budget deficit is almost twice the EU’s 3% upper limit, and the national debt has reached 114% of the gross domestic product (GDP). Fred, a senior manager of the RATP General Union, a public transport company in Paris, said that"the problem lies with Macron, not the government ministers," and stressed that Macron "must step down."
Between 2018 and 2019, France saw a wave of"Yellow Vest" protests over taxation and soaring living costs, but Antoine Bristielle, a sociologist at the Jean Jaures Foundation, a Paris-based think tank, believes that the two waves of protests were driven by different generations.
Blicher said that during the Yellow Vests movement, many retirees took to the streets, while many young people joined the"Block Everything" protests this time because young people "have a certain vision for the world, hoping that society will be more just, more equal, and the political system will function better."
