September 18th demonstrations: in France “anger persists”

Sébastien Lecornu has only just taken office as Prime Minister, recalls The New York Times , and yet, “he is already faced with growing social unrest”, which this Thursday, September 18, “shook France” .

This is how the transatlantic daily newspaper introduces its article on this day of strikes which saw at least one million people take to the streets, according to an estimate by the CGT (506,000 according to the authorities). Among these protesters were “teachers, railway workers, students and civil servants,” reports the English-language newspaper, which points out that the demonstrations “were organized by unions outraged by François Bayrou’s plan to cut 44 billion euros from the state budget for next year.” Bayrou is now no longer in power, but “the anger persists,” notes the American media.

Across the Channel, The Times newspaper highlighted the incidents that took place during the day, reporting “clashes [with the police] that broke out as protesters attempted to block schools, universities and public transport.” These scenes, in the eyes of this conservative newspaper, “worsen the sense of crisis in a country gripped by economic difficulties, political unrest and widespread unrest.”

To deal with the unrest, the Interior Ministry deployed no fewer than 80,000 police officers. This effort was also motivated by political considerations, the London media reports, since “Bruno Retailleau is seeking to present himself as a pillar of stability in a country where uprisings are a centuries-old tradition.”

Finally, incidents took place in Paris and most other major French cities, and according to the latest report released by the Ministry of the Interior at 3:45 p.m., 140 arrests were made across the country. Of these, 75 led to police custody, including 16 in Paris. Eight police officers were also injured.

A hectic day therefore, which, at a time when Sébastien Lecornu, “is struggling to find allies to balance his budget ,” concludes Bloomberg from the United States , “is further increasing the pressure on the Prime Minister.”