Paris riots LIVE: Police scramble across street launching gas canisters into masked crowds

Police have clashed with protesters in Paris, with footage showing what appear to be teargas canisters on the ground.

Emmanuel Macron has so far avoided discussing today's domestic difficulties, instead focusing on foreign affairs.

Posting on X on Wednesday morning, he said: "The incursion of Russian drones into Polish airspace during an attack carried out by Russia against Ukraine is simply unacceptable. I condemn it in the strongest terms.

"I call on Russia to put an end to this reckless escalation. I reiterate to the Polish people and their government our full solidarity.

"I will soon speak with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. We will not compromise on the security of the Allies."

Tensions are rising at Gare du Nord, where police are apparently preventing protesters from entering the building.

Footage circulated online appeared to show police using pepper spray on demonstrators trying to get into the station.

National Rally spokesman Gaëtan Dussausaye publicly denounced Wednesday's "Block Everything" protests, claiming they had been "hijacked by the far left."

As transport and public services came to a standstill across Paris, he argued that the demonstrations, initially triggered by public frustration with austerity measures, had descended into disorder.

Marine Le Pen, the party's prominent figure, stayed quiet, preoccupied with her own legal troubles following an embezzlement conviction.

Groups of protesters repeatedly tried to block Paris' beltway during the morning rush hour on Wednesday.

They erected barricades and hurled objects at police officers, blocked and slowed traffic and carried out other protest actions.

Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday appointed Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu as new prime minister on Tuesday and immediately tasked him with immediately trying to get the country's fractious political parties to agree on a budget for one of the world's biggest economies.

Lecornu, 39, was the youngest defence minister in French history and architect of a major military buildup through 2030, spurred by Russia’s war in Ukraine. A longtime Macron loyalist, Lecornu is now France's fourth prime minister in barely a year.

A former conservative who joined Macron’s centrist movement in 2017, Lecornu has held posts in local governments, overseas territories and during Macron’s yellow vest “great debate,” when he helped manage mass anger with dialogue. He also offered talks on autonomy during unrest in Guadeloupe in 2021.

Mr Lecornu replaced Francois Bayrou, who resigned his post after less than year.

French interior ministry Bruno Retailleau shared a series of pictures on X, commenting: "The military is present at all points in the territory where actions are being carried out.

'The situation is evolving, and our system is adapting in real time."

He has accused the protesters were attempting to create “a climate of insurrection".

A bus was set ablaze on Rennes' ring road near the Alma bridge during the "Bloquons tout" protests, causing significant traffic disruptions.

Hundreds of demonstrators, clashing with police, targeted the articulated bus, with social media capturing thick black smoke rising from the scene.

The driver escaped unharmed, but the incident, part of widespread blockades across the city, disrupted public transport and prompted safety warnings from authorities.

Dramatic images circulating on social media showed the bus in flames.

Calls online for strikes, boycotts, blockades and other forms of protest on Wednesday have been accompanied with appeals to avoid violence.

The spontaneity of “Block Everything” is reminiscent of the “Yellow Vest” movement that rocked Macron’s first term as president.

It started with workers camping out at traffic circles to protest a hike in fuel taxes, sporting high-visibility vests.

It quickly spread to people across political, regional, social and generational divides angry at economic injustice and Macron’s leadership.

The “Bloquons Tout” (Block Everything) movement had gathered momentum on social media and in encrypted chats over the summer.

Its call for a day of blockades, strikes, demonstrations, and other acts of protest comes as Macron — one of the movement’s main targets — installed his fourth prime minister in 12 months.

The movement, which has grown virally with no clear identified leadership, has a broad array of demands — many targeting contested belt-tightening budget plans that Bayrou championed before his demise — as well as broader complaints about inequality.

Protesters clashed with police early Wednesday in Paris, where garbage bins were set on fire, as the government deployed an exceptional 80,000 police for a day of nationwide action under the slogan “Block Everything.”

The protesters, angry at French President Emmanuel Macron over his leadership and austerity policies, are planning to disrupt activity across the country.

The Paris police prefecture said 75 people had already been detained by 9am, with demonstrations and blockades expected to continue throughout the day.

Two days after François Bayrou was ousted as prime minister in a parliamentary confidence vote and replaced on Tuesday by Sébastien Lecornu, thousands of protesters responded to online calls to disrupt the country.