Hundreds of thousands protest against austerity in France
A national day of action against austerity measures brought together around 175,000 demonstrators on Wednesday, according to estimates by the French interior ministry shortly before 18.00.
The CGT trade union reported that around 250,000 people took part in the protest, dubbed "Bloquons tout" ("Block everything"). The movement emerged on social media in July, in a show of anger against the political elite and planned spending cuts.
The demonstrations took place on the same day that the new French prime minister, Sébastien Lecornu, was sworn in, after his predecessor François Bayrou failed to survive a confidence vote on Monday.
473 arrests
The interior ministry counted 550 demonstrations, 262 blockades, and 812 other actions. While there was no total paralysis, the day passed in a tense atmosphere in many places.
The situation was particularly tense in Rennes, Nantes and Paris, where police intervened
A total of 267 fires were recorded on public roads. A fire damaged the facade of a building in the centre of Paris, although the public prosecutor's office believes that the fire may have been caused unintentionally by a police intervention.
The authorities also announced that 473 arrests had been made, 203 of them in Paris, and that 339 people had been taken into custody. The situation was particularly tense in Rennes, Nantes and Paris, where police intervened. Thirteen police officers were reportedly slightly injured.
Transport disrupted
Various calls on social media had prompted the day of action, which aimed to see people protesting across the country, from large cities to small villages, against the austerity measures announced before the summer.
Reminiscent of the yellow vest movement some seven years ago, the mobilisation also caused disruption to public transport. According to the transport ministry, more than 110 flights were cancelled.