Street anger crisis... France faces a new turning point.

Arabian Sea Newspaper - Special

Arab Sea_Follow-ups: The French street continues to boil for the second day in massive anti-austerity protests with the participation of hundreds of thousands, as the new Prime Minister takes office amidst a severe political crisis. The protesters are demanding the cancellation of an austerity plan that includes abolishing two public holidays and saving 43.8 billion euros. Members of the "Let's Shut Everything Down" movement, which is leading the protests and is supported by figures from the French left, said they believe that the political system is no longer fit for purpose. On Tuesday, French President Emmanuel Macron appointed the fifth Prime Minister in less than two years, Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu. The far-left "France Unbowed" party said it would indeed submit a motion of no confidence against Lecornu, although the far-right "National Rally" party indicated that it was willing to work with him for the time being. In the same context, the French Ministry of the Interior said that the anti-austerity protests in France saw the participation of at least 175,000 people and resulted in the arrest of about 500 people. During the handover ceremony yesterday, the new French Prime Minister, Sébastien Lecornu, called for a change in political practice, warning that "there will have to be a break, not only in terms of form or method, but also in terms of content." Lecornu takes over as Prime Minister from François Bayrou, who resigned on Tuesday after losing a vote of confidence in the National Assembly (the French Parliament) over his austerity budget plans. These plans, along with public discontent with the unpopular French President Emmanuel Macron, led to a wave of demonstrations on Wednesday under the slogan "Stop Everything," and these demonstrations turned violent in a few areas of the country. The roots of this decentralized movement are unclear, but its anti-austerity program has been supported by left-wing parties, unions, and supporters of the Yellow Vests protests that shook France in 2018. The General Confederation of Labor in France said that up to a quarter of a million people participated in the demonstrations yesterday, Wednesday. The French Ministry of the Interior said that 13 security personnel were injured, and hundreds were arrested, including 203 in Paris. The ministry added that several fires were set in public streets with "cases of public disorder" occurring, as protesters tried to storm the Gare du Nord metro station in Paris.