Nationwide unrest broke out across France on Wednesday as protesters blocked roads, set fires and clashed with police, who responded with tear gas, as anger grows against the country’s political class.

Fitch Ratings cited the “increased fragmentation and polarization” of politics in the debt-laden country as justification for the downgrade.

France’s finances and politics are in turmoil. President Emmanuel Macron has just appointed a new prime minister, the fourth in 12 months.

Mr Macron has told his new prime minister to consult widely among France’s political parties before forming a government. He wants him to put together a budget for 2026 that can, this time, secure parliamentary approval in advance.

Credit rating agency Fitch downgraded France's sovereign credit score on Friday to the country's lowest level on record, stripping the euro zone's second-largest economy of its AA- status as it grapples with political crisis and ballooning debt.

Foreign nationals are blamed for the incident, which has striking similarities with other recent provocations.

PARIS — As they get to know their new Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, a loyal ally of President Emmanuel Macron who had been remarkably low-key before taking one of the top jobs in the land, the French are also discovering that he has a somewhat unusual habit: He likes to butt heads.

Brittney Dzialo went viral after she posted a video of her and her friend accidentally boarding a plane to Tunis, Tunisia instead of Nice, France. They say their month-long trip has been full of mishaps,

Sébastien Lecornu had been defense minister. He is one of President Emmanuel Macron’s most loyal and enduring allies.