Nearly 100 Arrested, 2 Injured in Lyon Clashes as Protests Sweep France Over Budget Crisis
Tensions flared across France on Thursday as strikes and demonstrations against controversial budget reforms escalated, leading to nearly 100 arrests in just five hours, according to BFM TV. Nationwide arrests rose to 99, including 15 in the Paris region, compared with 30 earlier in the day. Clashes in Lyon left a journalist and a police officer injured after protesters hurled projectiles and fired mortars at police. Around 50 demonstrators also briefly entered the Ministry of Economy compound before withdrawing minutes later.
Trade unions hailed the mass mobilization as a success, with CGT leader Sophie Binet citing over 400,000 participants nationwide. The Education Ministry reported 23 schools completely blocked and 52 partially closed, while 17% of teachers joined the strike. Authorities counted 20,000 demonstrators in Lyon and 13,000 in Marseille by midday. To secure the protests, more than 80,000 police and gendarmes were deployed nationwide, along with armored vehicles, drones, and water cannons — measures not seen since the Yellow Vest movement.
The unrest comes amid France’s deepening political crisis following the collapse of François Bayrou’s government after a failed confidence vote on Sept. 8. Bayrou’s 2026 budget plan aimed to slash €44 billion ($51 billion) to reduce public debt, now at 113% of GDP, but sparked backlash across multiple sectors. Macron appointed Sébastien Lecornu as the new prime minister, tasking him with rebuilding consensus. With France’s budget deficit standing at 5.8% of GDP — one of the EU’s largest — negotiations remain a flashpoint after last year’s budget deadlock led to the downfall of Michel Barnier’s government.
