The Foreign Office has updated its travel advice for France, as the country braces for protests amid growing political chaos. Demonstrations organised by a loose left-wing collective called “Block Everything” are set to take place across France today and Thursda next week.
The protests are likely to cause widespread disruption to transport and education, as well as several other public services. They could also lead to violence, as was witnessed on Tuesday in Paris, where rioters clashed with police. Demonstrators are protesting against government plans to slash public spending in a bid to bring down France’s ballooning national debt.
In the latest update to its website, the FCDO wrote: “Calls for strikes and demonstrations across France on Wednesday 10 September and Thursday 18 September could make disruption more likely. Monitor local news and check with your travel provider regarding potential delays.”
Protesters have been gathering across France since the early hours on Wednesday, preparing to vent their fury at the government. Some 80,000 police officers have been deployed to maintain law and order, as political tensions threaten to explode.
Demonstrators in Lyon blocked a highway running through the city and set bins on fire, while in the western city of Nantes police used teargas to disperse protesters.
Reports are also emerging of masked groups building barricades with dumpsters on the outskirts of Paris. The capital city erupted into violence on Tuesday night, as rioters pelted police with bottles and set off fires.
Nine pig heads were left outside mosques, some scrawled with “Macron” in blue ink – promoting police to launch a hate crime probe.
Police Chief Laurent Nunez called the acts “despicable” and warned: “We are not ruling out the possibility that others may be found.”
Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau condemned the “outrageous” acts, saying: “I want our Muslim compatriots to practise their faith in peace.” The Grand Mosque’s rector, Chems-Eddine Hafiz, decried a “new and sad stage in anti-Muslim hatred.”
The protests come as President Macron appointed his fifth prime minister in two years on Tuesday, promoting former Defence Minister Sébastien Lecornu to the post.