<h1>295 arrests as massive protests and 80,000 police clear barricades over €44 billion budget cuts and inequality</h1> French authorities made 295 arrests amid nationwide demonstrations that blocked roads, set fires and prompted widespread use of tear gas on the first day in office for a newly appointed prime minister. An exceptional deployment of 80,000 police cleared barricades in multiple cities, with incidents including a bus torched, damage to electrical cables affecting rail service and localized clashes in Paris. The protests, driven by a leaderless 'Block Everything' online movement opposing budget cuts-including a planned €44 billion spending reduction-and broader inequality, intensified political instability after a government collapse, while the interior ministry accused radical elements of attempting to hijack otherwise broad-based unrest.