France is once again facing a wave of turmoil that has shaken the foundations of daily life. On Wednesday, the Bloquons Tout (“Block Everything”) movement spread rapidly across the nation. What began as an online call to “block everything” soon turned into widespread action, with protesters blocking major highways, lighting fires, occupying gas stations, and directly confronting the police.

The sudden eruption of this movement has revived memories of the Yellow Vest uprising of 2018, when anger against rising fuel taxes and living costs spiraled into months of street battles and political instability. Today’s unrest, however, appears even broader, touching not just the economic hardships of ordinary people but also a deeper mistrust of the political system itself.

In the following sections, we look at why these protests are happening, what exactly demonstrators are demanding, how their tactics are bringing life in France to a near standstill, and what the government’s response has been so far.

Why did the ‘Block Everything’ protests erupt?

At the heart of the unrest lies the dramatic collapse of Prime Minister François Bayrou’s government earlier this week. Bayrou had introduced a highly controversial austerity budget that included proposals to slash more than $50 billion in spending, impose a freeze on pensions for 2026, cut billions from healthcare, and even remove two national holidays from the French calendar.

The proposals provoked swift and fierce backlash that crossed party lines. Politicians from both the left and the right openly condemned the measures, and public outrage surged. The situation escalated further when Bayrou was toppled by a no-confidence vote, yet the anger on the streets did not die down.

Instead, President Emmanuel Macron’s rapid appointment of Sébastien Lecornu as the new prime minister only fueled perceptions of arrogance and detachment. Lecornu, Macron’s fifth prime minister in under two years, is seen as a close loyalist. For many critics, his rise represented not a solution but a continuation of “business as usual.”

The protests have therefore grown into something larger than opposition to austerity cuts. They reflect widespread mistrust of Macron’s leadership, deep disillusionment with the entire political class, and louder calls for systemic change.

What are the protesters demanding?

The Block Everything movement is deliberately leaderless and decentralised, making it difficult for the government to negotiate with or suppress. Despite the lack of a central figure, the demands expressed on the streets converge around a few clear themes.

Protesters are insisting on the scrapping of austerity measures, particularly the pension freezes and healthcare cuts. They are calling for stronger public services, higher taxation on the wealthy, and stricter limits on media concentration in the hands of a few. Beyond economics, there is also a political edge to their demands: many demonstrators are demanding greater accountability for elites and openly questioning the legitimacy of France’s current institutions.

A recent survey highlighted that most participants are highly politicised left-wing sympathisers. However, the movement also draws significant support from the far-right National Rally, as well as from ordinary workers who feel betrayed by all sides. This unusual coalition has created a powerful rallying cry: a shared anger against a ruling class that is increasingly seen as detached, unaccountable, and out of touch with the daily struggles of citizens.

How are daily lives being disrupted by protests?

Unlike traditional mass marches, the Block Everything protesters are adopting chaotic and flexible tactics aimed at paralysing the country and exhausting authorities. Across multiple French cities, including Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Nantes, and Toulouse, demonstrators have blocked highways, bridges, and roundabouts.

In Rennes, protesters went as far as setting a bus on fire, while in Bordeaux they attempted to halt the tram network. Transport has been a major target: train traffic was badly disrupted after an incident of cable arson in the southwest, while protesters repeatedly attempted to choke Paris’s ring road during rush hour. Tram services in Bordeaux were also briefly brought to a standstill.

Schools have not been spared. In eastern Paris, students blocked entry to a high school, which led to clashes with police who responded with tear gas to disperse them. Workers joined the movement too, staging pickets outside an Amazon depot in northern France.

According to unions, there were more than 700 separate disruptions nationwide, ranging from burning barricades to small-scale street actions where protesters overturned bins, lit fires, and regrouped after being scattered by police. The result has been a continuous game of cat-and-mouse between demonstrators and security forces, leaving life in several regions of France severely paralysed.

What steps is the government taking?

The Macron administration has launched one of the most extensive domestic security operations in France’s recent history. A massive force of eighty thousand police and gendarmes has been deployed across the country, with 6,000 stationed in Paris alone. Outgoing Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau instructed these forces with a clear “zero tolerance” mandate. His directive stated that no blockade of critical infrastructure such as airports, power plants, or water treatment facilities would be permitted under any circumstances.

Police have already used tear gas, removed barricades, and carried out hundreds of arrests. In Paris, more than 130 arrests were made by Wednesday afternoon alone. Retailleau repeated his stance firmly: no acts of violence, vandalism, or occupation of essential services would be tolerated. Following his orders, officers moved rapidly to reopen blocked transport routes and dismantle barricades wherever they appeared.

However, despite this overwhelming show of force, the government has admitted that the leaderless and decentralised nature of the movement makes it extremely difficult to suppress. Protesters frequently scatter when confronted, only to regroup elsewhere, keeping police forces stretched thin and constantly on the defensive.

Could France be facing another Yellow Vest moment?

The comparisons are almost inevitable. Much like the Yellow Vests of 2018, the Block Everything movement started online, spread quickly through social media, attracted people from across the political spectrum, and deliberately avoided formal leadership. During the Yellow Vest crisis, Macron’s government was ultimately forced to spend nearly €20 billion on concessions. Whether this new wave of protests builds the same momentum is still unclear, but the ingredients are undeniably present: austerity anger, political instability, and leaderless mobilisation.

For many observers, today’s unrest is a stark reminder of 2018, when the Yellow Vest uprising became the biggest challenge of Emmanuel Macron’s presidency. What began as outrage against fuel tax hikes soon exploded into a nationwide revolt over inequality and Macron’s perceived elitism.

Paris endured its worst rioting in decades. Tear gas shrouded the Arc de Triomphe, cars and shops were set ablaze, hundreds of people were injured, and even the monument itself was vandalized. At the height of the movement, around 300,000 people joined protests across France. The unrest caused billions in economic losses and forced Macron to make his first major retreat, shelving his planned tax increases.

The similarities to today are striking. Both movements are leaderless, decentralized, and spread online. Both rely on blockades and barricades as their primary tactics. Most importantly, both reveal a deeper anger directed at France’s political elite. The one difference is in their social base: while the Yellow Vests were largely fueled by rural motorists and workers, the Block Everything protests are being driven more by students, unions, and radicalized left-wing groups.

Already, some demonstrators have gone beyond policy demands and are openly calling for Macron’s resignation before his term ends in 2027. His critics argue that his continued reliance on loyalists like Sébastien Lecornu proves he has no real intention of listening to the demands of ordinary citizens.

France follows Nepal’s path as unrest deepens into chaos

France now finds itself once more in the grip of spontaneous, street-fueled unrest. The “Block Everything” movement may not yet have fully paralysed the nation, but it has already exposed Macron’s fragility and has further eroded public trust in his presidency.

This wave of anger is not limited to France. Only a day earlier, Nepal too witnessed protests that toppled Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, plunging the Himalayan nation into deadly turmoil. On Friday (5th September), the Nepalese government issued an extraordinary order banning 26 social media platforms, including Facebook, WhatsApp, and X, citing concerns about misinformation and hate speech. Instead of restoring order, the ban ignited even greater fury, leading to violent demonstrations spearheaded by Gen Z activists that overwhelmed an unprepared government.

What started as a united protest against corruption and state excesses soon escalated into a nightmare of violence, arson, and vandalism that shut the country down. Politicians became direct targets of the rage. One of the most shocking incidents occurred when the residence of former Prime Minister Jhalanath Khanal was attacked by protesters in Dallu, Kathmandu. His house was set ablaze, and in a tragic turn, his wife Rajyalaxmi Chitrakar was caught in the fire and lost her life.