Protesters seeking to bring France to a standstill have clashed with police across the country ahead of what officials fear will be a day of violence, reports The Times.
Riot officers used tear gas to clear demonstrators from railway stations, roads and other strategic points in Paris and major cities such as Lyon and Nantes. Nearly 200 arrests were been made across the country on Wednesday morning.
Bruno Retailleau, the interior minister, said: “This is not a citizens’ movement in any way. It’s been hijacked by the ultra-left and some are determined to carry out violent actions. There is an insurrectional mood.”
The clashes came after weeks of rallying calls posted online to “Bloquons Tout” (Let’s Block Everything) — an expression of hostility towards President Macron in particular and the country’s governing class in general. The calls were initiated by a little-known right-wing group of conspiracy theorists but have been largely taken up by radical leftists, who formed the bulk of the protesters.
One group of activists blocked the Paris ring road on Tuesday night before being chased away by police. Minutes later another group blocked a different section of the ring road. Elsewhere in the capital, secondary schools and bus stations were blocked.
See more of this report, updated and with video, from The Times.