170,000 people participate in the "Lockdown Everything" protest; a restaurant in Paris catches fire
France - Political turbulence in France is accompanied by social unrest. The online "Lockdown Everything" street protest activity caused chaos in major cities. The French Interior Ministry reported in the evening that a total of 175,000 people participated in the spontaneous "Lockdown Everything" protest on the 10th throughout France. The General Confederation of Labor (CGT) said that the number of demonstrators reached 250,000. The numbers reported by union organizations are usually two to three times higher than those from the Interior Ministry.
A Korean restaurant in the Parisian shopping district of Les Halles caught fire. Police and firefighters quickly arrived at the scene and extinguished the fire around 4:30 p.m. The prosecutor stated that the fire at the restaurant in Les Halles might have been an accidental result of police intervention.
There were protests of varying sizes in Lyon, Montpellier, Marseille, Rennes, Toulouse, Landes, Bordeaux, and Pau. Pau is the city where former Prime Minister Bérégovoy was mayor, and thousands of people participated in a street demonstration to "say goodbye" to Bérégovoy's resignation.
Police arrested more than 473 people nationwide, including 203 in the Paris region.
International flights were almost unaffected. However, domestic flights to Nice, Marseille, Lyon, and Corsica were disrupted, with a total of 110 flights canceled and some flights severely delayed. However, conditions improved in the evening.
Some highways were heavily blocked. Demonstrators participating in the "Lockdown Everything" protest blocked the A36 highway and the tunnel leading to the Alps. Trains between Toulouse and Auch were forced to be canceled in the south-west of France, and there was sabotage along the railway line. The train cables between Marmande and Agen in the south-west of France were stolen, and the French national railway company quickly sent workers to repair them.
The railway authority stated that high-speed trains were not greatly affected. On the 11th, regional public transport (Transport express régional, TER) between some provinces would be somewhat affected.
Paris metro services were significantly reduced. After the fire at Les Halles, the important transportation hub Châtelet - Les Halles was completely closed, causing inconvenience to the transportation in the Paris region. On the 10th, the RER B line to Charles de Gaulle Airport could not operate normally. The RER D line was also forced to close.
The next nationwide protest organized by the unions and the far-left political party is scheduled for September 18.
Source: rfi
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1842930388439049/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.