Two days after his government’s prejudiced fall in France on Wednesday, September 10th, and while the Prime Minister will be looking for “the road”: the “Bloquons Tout” protest movement (“blocking everything”), which is calling for the operation of the state, will be suspended by the state.
The movement is supported by large left -wing unions such as CGT and Solidaires, and some parties on the left, such as its far -left France, ecologists and the French Communist Party. According to French intelligence services, at least 100,000 citizens are expected to be involved in the mobilizations, who are mainly working in the transport, energy, infrastructure and supply chain sectors.
How it started and how did it evolve
The “Bloquons Tout” movement took shape last April, initially through a team on the Telegram platform created by the collective “Les Essentiels” (“The Essential”) opposed to its health protection measures known for its conspiracy. According to Monde, who in his posts knitted the praise of Ilon Musk and referred to Lepen’s far -right national gathering.
Then, the slogan “Bloquons Tout” spread to social media where it quickly gained a great promotion. Following the announcement of Prime Minister Bairo’s budgetary measures, the movement began to be organized since July, and has also attracted the media’s attention. On July 22, in a RTL poll, 63% of the French said they supported it.
On September 5, a poll by Le Point magazine recorded that 13% of respondents intended to be actively involved in the September 10th mobilizations, while 41% said they supported them from a distance. In other words, more than half of the French have a sympathy for the movement, which some compare to that of the yellow vests.
Will political volatility be aggravated?
No one can predict. If several tens of thousands are mobilized, then the economy (transport, commerce, energy) can be disturbed and political instability can be applied. However, without organization and a clear strategy, the movement is in danger of deflating. Historical previous ones show that a spontaneous movement without structure often ends up being ventilated, as was the case with yellow vests.
In their first mobilization, the yellow vests had lowered 280,000 citizens to the streets. That movement had a clearer targeting than Bloquons Tout. It was created as a reaction to the increase in fuel prices in November 2018, during the first term of President Emmanuel Macron, was more spontaneous, did not support parties or trade unions, and was calling for mobilizations every Saturday, all over France, until March 2019. He reappeared in the context of social protests on the reform of the retirement system in France in the spring of 2023, but his action was not continued.
For Bloquons Tout, the budget cuts proposed by Bairou, and in particular the abolition of two holidays are only the reason for protest. Its purpose is more general, it is capitalism, the French state, liberalism. The difference between the two movements is mainly the support for the Bloquons Tout of the unions and the disobedient France of Melanson, who always with a look at the 2027 presidential election, hopes to capitalize on popular anger and “throw” Macron.
Many analysts criticize the populist and contradictory nature of the movement, its ambiguous demands: they are against immigrants but in favor of increasing the minimum wage. The reason for its leaders is, as they argue, simplistic, reactionary and, above all, emotional. It expresses an instant social anger and not formed and progressive goals.
