France was rocked by a wave of protests and unrest on September 10 and 11, 2025, as the "Bloquons Tout" (Block Everything) movement swept through major cities, igniting a fierce debate over the country’s controversial state budget reforms. The demonstrations, which erupted in response to government plans to slash spending by €44 billion, saw thousands take to the streets, setting up barricades, blocking highways, and clashing with police in scenes reminiscent of the 2018–2019 "Yellow Vest" movement, according to reporting from Anadolu and Reuters.
According to the French Interior Ministry, a staggering 675 people were detained over two days, with 280 arrests in Paris alone. Paris police chief Laurent Nunez said on Thursday, "This morning we arrested 280 people, including a large number who were already in police custody," as reported by ANTARA from Anadolu. The police crackdown was especially visible in the capital, where riot police in full gear used teargas to disperse crowds near the Gare du Nord train station and outside high schools, where students had joined the protests. Fires and barricades—constructed from burning tires and trash—were lit in cities like Rennes and Montpellier, blocking traffic and raising tensions.
The demonstrations, which drew nearly 200,000 participants nationwide by official estimates, were met with a massive security response. Over 80,000 security personnel were deployed in an effort to contain the unrest, leading to almost 500 arrests, according to Reuters. The protests were not limited to Paris; small-scale blockades continued in Nantes and at the University of Sciences Po in Paris, though police acted quickly to prevent them from escalating.
Despite the scale of the mobilization, authorities declared the movement a "failure" in terms of achieving its stated goal: to bring the country to a standstill by blocking roads and infrastructure. Paris police chief Nunez noted that "blocking did not occur, although there were not a few attempts to block the road." Police recorded ten failed attempts to block the Paris ring road, as well as an unsuccessful raid on the busy Gare du Nord station. Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau acknowledged the size of the protests but insisted that demonstrators had failed to paralyze the country, stating, "They failed to block the nation as intended."
The "Block Everything" movement began earlier this year as a grassroots campaign on social media, initially among right-wing groups, but it quickly expanded to include left-wing and far-left activists. The movement’s call to action—"on the 10th, we blockade everything, not to run away, to say no"—resonated with many, especially as left-wing party La France Insoumise (LFI) and major labor unions threw their support behind the cause. The movement’s broad appeal echoed the energy and frustration of the "Yellow Vest" protests that rocked France just a few years earlier.
The timing of the protests was significant. They coincided with a major political transition: the swearing-in of Sebastien Lecornu as France’s new prime minister on September 9, 2025. Lecornu’s appointment came after former prime minister Francois Bayrou lost a crucial vote of confidence in the National Assembly on September 8, 2025, largely due to his handling of the controversial budget. Bayrou’s proposal, first unveiled in July, aimed to cut €44 billion from government spending in a bid to reduce France’s soaring state debt, which now stands at 113–114% of GDP—one of the highest in the European Union. The country’s budget deficit, at 5.8%, is also nearly double the EU’s prescribed limit.
The proposed austerity measures have sparked fierce opposition from across the political spectrum. Critics argue that the government’s plan to cut spending will deepen social inequality and ignore the struggles of ordinary citizens. As Reuters reported, much of the anger fueling the protests comes from younger generations who are demanding social justice and political reform. Seventeen-year-old Sorbonne student Emma Meguerditchian voiced her frustration: "We can’t take this anymore, we want another type of government." Another demonstrator, 21-year-old Alice Morin, added, "Young people are the future. The old generation left us with a broken world. It’s up to us to change it."
Political tensions have been simmering for months. The failure to reach an agreement on the 2025 State Budget previously caused the collapse of Michel Barnier’s government in December 2024, when both far-right and left-wing parties united to support a vote of no confidence. The latest round of unrest underscores the depth of dissatisfaction with the status quo and the challenges facing President Emmanuel Macron as he seeks to steer France through a period of fiscal tightening and political uncertainty.
Trade unions, emboldened by the turnout and energy of the September protests, have already called for a new wave of demonstrations across France, including in Paris, on September 18, 2025. However, the precise route and endpoints of these planned protests remain uncertain, as police have yet to approve the proposed locations. Paris police chief Nunez has emphasized that authorities will maintain "the same standards, the same vigilance, and the same doctrine" in preventing further blockades in the coming days.
For many observers, the events of September 2025 have laid bare the fragility of France’s political landscape. The government’s struggle to build consensus around budget reforms, the willingness of disparate political groups to unite in opposition, and the readiness of ordinary citizens—especially the youth—to take to the streets all point to a society at a crossroads. The memory of the "Yellow Vest" movement looms large, serving as both a warning and a source of inspiration for those dissatisfied with the status quo.
As the dust settles from this latest round of unrest, the questions facing France are as urgent as ever. Can the government find a way to balance fiscal responsibility with social justice? Will the new prime minister, Sebastien Lecornu, succeed in forging the alliances necessary to pass a new budget and restore stability? And perhaps most importantly, will the voices of those who took to the streets be heard in the halls of power—or will the cycle of protest and political crisis continue?
For now, France remains on edge, caught between the imperatives of economic reform and the demands of its citizens for a fairer, more inclusive future. The next few weeks may well determine which path the country ultimately chooses.