Protesters clashed with police early Wednesday in Paris, where garbage bins were set on fire, as the government deployed an exceptional 80,000 police for a day of nationwide action under the slogan “Block Everything.”
The protesters, angry at French President Emmanuel Macron over his leadership and austerity policies, are planning to disrupt activity across the country.
The Paris police prefecture said 75 people had already been detained by 9am, with demonstrations and blockades expected to continue throughout the day.
Two days after François Bayrou was ousted as prime minister in a parliamentary confidence vote and replaced on Tuesday by Sébastien Lecornu, thousands of protesters responded to online calls to disrupt the country.