France is once again in turmoil. On Wednesday, the Bloquons Tout (“Block Everything”) movement erupted across the country, with protesters blocking highways, setting fires, occupying gas stations, and clashing with police. What began as an online call to shut down France has now morphed into a nationwide wave of unrest reminiscent of the Yellow Vest uprising of 2018.

Here’s a breakdown of why the protests are happening, what demonstrators want, how they are disrupting daily life, and how the government is responding.

Why are the ‘Block Everything’ protests taking place?

The unrest is rooted in the collapse of Prime Minister François Bayrou’s government earlier this week. Bayrou had unveiled a controversial austerity budget that proposed slashing more than $50 billion in spending, freezing pensions for 2026, cutting billions from healthcare, and even striking two national holidays from the calendar. The backlash was swift and cut across party lines, uniting both left and right in outrage.

Although Bayrou was toppled by a no-confidence vote, the anger did not subside. Instead, Macron’s swift appointment of Sébastien Lecornu, his fifth prime minister in under two years and a longtime loyalist, fueled perceptions of arrogance and “business as usual.” Critics saw Lecornu’s rise not as a solution but as a provocation. The protests are therefore not just about austerity, but about widespread mistrust of Macron’s leadership, disillusionment with the political class, and calls for systemic change.

What do the protesters want?

The Block Everything movement is leaderless, decentralised, and deliberately broad, but its demands converge on a few key themes. Demonstrators want the scrapping of austerity measures such as pension freezes and healthcare cuts. They are demanding stronger public services, higher taxes on the wealthy, and action against media concentration. Many also call for greater accountability of elites and openly question the legitimacy of current institutions.

A recent survey found that most participants are highly politicised left-wing sympathisers, but the movement also attracts support from the far-right National Rally and disenchanted workers. This unusual coalition underscores a simple but powerful rallying cry: anger at a ruling class seen as detached and unaccountable.

How are protesters disrupting daily life?

Instead of staging massive marches, the protesters have chosen chaotic, fluid actions designed to paralyse the country and frustrate authorities. Across France, they have blocked highways, bridges, and roundabouts in cities like Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Nantes, and Toulouse. In Rennes, they even set a bus on fire, while in Bordeaux, they attempted to halt tram lines.

Transport chaos has been central: train traffic was disrupted after cable arson in the southwest, protesters repeatedly tried to choke Paris’s ring road during rush hour, and tram services were briefly halted in Bordeaux. Schools were also targeted, in eastern Paris, students blocked entry to a high school, sparking clashes with police who used tear gas to break up the blockade. Meanwhile, workers staged pickets outside an Amazon depot in northern France.

In total, unions claimed over 700 separate disruptions nationwide, ranging from burning barricades to small-scale street actions where demonstrators overturned bins, lit fires, and regrouped after police dispersals. The result has been a game of cat-and-mouse between protesters and security forces, leaving daily life in several regions severely disrupted.

What is the government doing?

The Macron administration has responded with one of the largest domestic security operations in recent memory. Eighty thousand police and gendarmes were deployed nationwide, with 6,000 stationed in Paris alone. Outgoing Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau gave security forces a “zero tolerance” mandate: no blockades of critical infrastructure such as airports, power plants, or water treatment facilities would be allowed.

Police have fired tear gas, dismantled barricades, and carried out hundreds of arrests, including more than 130 in Paris by Wednesday afternoon. Retailleau stressed that no violence, vandalism, or occupation of essential infrastructure would be tolerated, as officers moved quickly to clear blockades and reopen transport routes.

Despite this overwhelming show of force, authorities admit that the leaderless, decentralised nature of the movement makes it hard to contain. Protesters disperse when confronted, regroup elsewhere, and keep authorities stretched thin.

Could this become another Yellow Vest uprising?

The comparisons are unavoidable. Like the Yellow Vests, Block Everything began online, spread rapidly through social media, drew participants from both political extremes, and lacked formal leadership. The 2018 protests ultimately forced Macron’s government to spend nearly €20 billion on concessions. Whether this new movement builds similar momentum remains to be seen, but the ingredients are there: austerity anger, political instability, and leaderless mobilisation.

For many, the Block Everything unrest recalls the Yellow Vest movement of 2018, which became the biggest challenge of Emmanuel Macron’s presidency. What began with anger over fuel tax hikes soon grew into a nationwide revolt against inequality and Macron’s perceived elitism.

Paris saw its worst rioting in decades: tear gas shrouded the Arc de Triomphe, cars and shops were set ablaze, hundreds were injured, and the monument itself was vandalized. At its peak, around 300,000 people joined protests across the country, causing billions in economic losses and forcing Macron into his first major U-turn, suspending planned tax hikes.

The parallels with today are clear. Both movements are leaderless, decentralized, and spread online, both use blockades and barricades as tactics, and both reflect a deeper anger at France’s political elite. The difference is that while the Yellow Vests were rooted in rural motorists and workers, Block Everything is being driven more by students, unions, and radicalized left-wing groups.

Already, some protesters are demanding not just policy reversals but Macron’s resignation before his term ends in 2027. His critics argue that his reliance on loyalists like Lecornu proves he has no intention of listening to the people.

France follows into footsteps of Nepal as it hurtles towards chaos

France is once again caught in the grip of spontaneous, street-driven unrest. The “Block Everything” movement may not yet have paralysed the country, but it has exposed Macron’s vulnerability and deepened public mistrust in his presidency.

And this phenomenon is not confined to France. Just a day earlier, Nepal too witnessed protests that toppled Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and spiralled into deadly violence. On Friday (5th September), the Nepalese government ordered a ban on 26 social media platforms, including Facebook, WhatsApp and X, citing concerns of misinformation and hate speech. What followed was a surge of violent demonstrations, led by the ‘Gen Z’, which brought the collapse of an unprepared government.

Started as a unified demonstration against government excesses and corruption, it soon took a deadly turn as thousands of protesters resorted to violence, arson, and vandalism, bringing the entire Himalayan nation to a standstill. Several politicians were targeted, including former PM Jhalanath Khanal, whose house was set on fire by an angry mob of protesters. His wife, Rajyalaxmi Chitrakar, tragically died after being caught in the blaze set by protesters at the couple’s residence in Dallu, Kathmandu.

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