France Hit by Second Wave of Strikes in ‘Block Everything’ Movement

The ‘Bloquons Tout’ movement continues to bring France to a halt with protests over major government spending cuts.

A woman runs past a poster on a wall that reads "Block everything on September 18 and 21. General strike, Macron Impeachment", in Paris on Sept. 17, 2025. Abdul Saboor/ Reuters

France is facing a second nationwide strike on Thursday, with hundreds of thousands joining demonstrations against austerity measures and budget cuts.

The wave of unrest comes as French President Emmanuel Macron and his newly appointed prime minister, Sebastien Lecornu, face a political crisis and mounting pressure to bring public finances under control in the Eurozone’s second-largest economy.