France / September 10 Blockade: The popular uprising is growing

On Wednesday, September 10, 2025, France is gripped by an unprecedented day of blockades. Under the slogan “Block Everything”, a protest movement born on social media is calling for the country to come to a standstill in response to austerity measures announced in the 2026 budget and the ensuing political and social crisis.

Emerging in the summer of 2025, the movement quickly gained momentum by organizing through Telegram, TikTok, and other secure platforms. Its objective: to paralyze the country on September 10 to protest a 2026 budget deemed brutal and antisocial. The budget includes €43.8 billion in spending cuts, the elimination of two public holidays (May 8 and Easter Monday), a freeze on pensions, and further reductions in public services.

This movement has no leader or formal structure; it claims to be a nonpartisan citizens' initiative. It strongly resembles the Yellow Vests movement of 2018–2019 through its decentralized organization, distrust of traditional parties and unions, and deep-rooted social anger. As in 2018, social media plays a central role in coordination and mobilization.

Public support is significant: according to a poll published by La Tribune Dimanche, 46% of French people support the day of blockades, 28% oppose it, and 26% are indifferent. Support is high on the left (LFI: 73%, Greens: 67%, Socialist Party: 61%) and also notable among RN voters (58%), while it collapses on the center-right (Renaissance-Horizons-Modem: 73% opposed, LR: 57% opposed).

Actions began at dawn. In Paris, filtering roadblocks were set up at several entry points to the capital, including Porte d’Italie, where police intervened swiftly. The prefecture reported 73 arrests before 8:00 AM. In Toulouse, a roundabout was cleared by law enforcement. Similar actions were reported in Caen, Lyon, Marseille, and Nantes, involving blockades of intersections, fuel depots, and train stations.

To respond, the government mobilized 80,000 police officers and gendarmes, supported by drones, armored vehicles, and helicopters. Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau instructed prefects to act with maximum firmness:

The objective is clear: to avoid a national paralysis reminiscent of the Yellow Vests protests in the winter of 2018.

This eruption of public anger comes just as the Bayrou government was toppled by a vote of no confidence, leading to its resignation on Tuesday, September 9. President Emmanuel Macron appointed Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister, his fourth in under a year. With Parliament in turmoil, the streets are once again asserting themselves as a political force.

The “Block Everything” movement reflects a diffuse, citizen-led uprising deeply embedded in France’s social reality. It doesn’t speak for one political side, but for a broader sense of exasperation. The country has ground to a halt, yet anger is on the move.