Protest group calls for ‘total blockade of France’ in September

The prime minister’s €40 billion cost-cutting budget proposals have drawn plenty of criticism from politicians, unions and members of the public, with some unions already floating the idea of demonstrations in the autumn.

But a previously unknown online group has issued a call for a complete blockade of the country from September 10th, which appears to be rapidly gaining traction.

The collection Mobilisation10septembre (demo September 10th) describe themselves as 20 “apolitical” people who are outraged over the budget proposals.

Advertisement

“We said to ourselves that we couldn’t let this pass,” one of the activists, who refused to give his name, told French media. “So we launched this appeal. It’s not just a classic demonstration, but a real blockade.”

He added: “Across the country, care workers, students, low-wage workers, Yellow Vests etc, have started to organise locally.”

The group has shared no details of its exact plans for September 10th, saying only that the date had been picked because it’s the time when everyone has returned to work or school after the summer holidays.

Protest in France usually takes the form of either strikes called by unions or street demonstrations organised by political parties or established campaigning organisations such as Greenpeace.

However the ‘yellow vest’ protests of 2018 and 2019 also began online and did not have an organised leadership or any affiliation with political parties. 

The unnamed activist told Le Parisien newspaper that the movement is “a call for disobedience, boycott and solidarity”.

“The movement doesn’t depend on any party or organisation. It’s a ras-le-bol général [a sense of being generally fed-up or angry].

“If people from all walks of life identify with it, it’s precisely because the attacks in the budget affect everyone.”

Debates in parliament on the budget are due to take place in September and October, and it’s possible that the prime minister could be toppled over the issue if he loses a vote of no confidence.

You can find the latest details on all planned strikes and protests in France in our strike section here.