Thousands clash with police as Lecornu takes office amid budget cuts

Thousands of demonstrators across France clashed with police on Wednesday as a decentralized "Block Everything" protest movement sought to disrupt traffic and public services on the same day Sébastien Lecornu took office as prime minister, adding fresh pressure to a government reeling from a parliamentary vote that toppled François Bayrou earlier in the week. The unrest, which spread from Paris to cities including Rennes, Marseille, Montpellier, Nantes and Toulouse, saw roadblocks, burning rubbish bins and vehicles, tear gas and a heavy security response.

Authorities deployed an exceptional force to contain the demonstrations, with officials saying about 80,000 security personnel were stationed nationwide and some 6,000 in Paris. Accounts of arrests and crowd size varied. Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau and other government figures cited turnout estimates ranging from roughly 175,000 to nearly 200,000 people nationwide by evening, while union organizers reported higher figures. Arrest tallies also differed, with reported totals ranging from the low hundreds up to more than 450 detained across the country; Paris arrests alone were reported variously at about 130, more than...