The mobilisation10septembre (protest10september) group calling for a 鈥渢otal and indefinite shutdown鈥� of France from September 10, 2025, is now receiving support from some French politicians.
The group was formed to protest against the government鈥檚 鈥渁usterity policy鈥� but has claimed no key leader, union support, or political allegiance.
As the blockage date approaches, however, the movement appears to be gaining momentum as some French political heavyweights express their backing.
Founder of left-wing party La France Insoumise (LFI) and 2022 presidential candidate, Jean-Luc M茅lenchon, alongside several of his party members, advocated the blockage movement in an article published by La Tribune Dimanche on August 16.
"We will not let this happen!" began the article, before describing the government's recent budget proposal as "devastating."
Similarly, on August 19, Green MP for Paris Sandrine Rousseau, told FranceInfo: "I want people to hear the voices of those who are rising up... It is important to understand that part of the population today not only lacks the means to live, but the means to survive."
On August 20, the Communist party expressed their intention to join the blockade, while a spokesperson for the Socialist party said: "We are following this initiative with great interest. The motivations and structure are still unclear at this stage, but we understand the frustration behind this movement."
The Connexion answers nine questions regarding the mysterious bloquons tout (block everything) movement.
Why is the group calling for a shutdown?
The group was formed in response to the budget plan announced by PM Bayrou on July 15.
The plan includes scrapping two public holidays (Easter Monday and May 8, VE Day) in a bid to save an overall 鈧�43.8 billion and reduce the public deficit to 4.6% in 2026.
It is not final and would need to be approved by the French parliament, but has already faced criticism, with some French newspapers asking if it could spark fresh gilets jaunes protests.
The gilets jaunes protests were a series of grassroots, weekly protests that took place in France between 2018 and 2020, sparked by a rise in fuel taxes.
鈥淪top austerity, Bayrou! The government is sacrificing our rights: two public holidays have been cancelled, massive cuts to healthcare, pension freezes, and thousands of public sector job cuts,鈥� mobilisation10september wrote on its website before its online presence was deleted in July (see below).
鈥淭his unjust plan hits the most vulnerable and destroys our essential services. Another policy is possible: one of solidarity, fairness, and humanity.鈥�
鈥淭his movement was born because we are fed up... Fed up with seeing Bayrou destroy what remains of justice and solidarity.鈥�
It will be 鈥渁 peaceful action to denounce injustices and collectively regain power,鈥� the group wrote.
What does the group hope to achieve?
Communications from the group's website state the aim of the shutdown is to insist on government action addressing the following demands:
- Make substantial reinvestment in public services including health, education, public transport and the justice system.
- Put a stop to job cuts and "inhumane" budgetary measures.
- Develop an accessible health service for all, without "unfair" insurance excess.
- Keep all public holidays in place.
- Revaluate minimum social pensions and salaries.
Who is behind the movement?
Little is known about the members of the group behind the calls for a shutdown.
Several choose to remain anonymous however there are around 20 core members, according to French media reports. They met on social media and describe themselves as 鈥渁political鈥�, however many far-right accounts have shared the message with their networks.
Former leaders of the gilets jaunes movement, such as J茅r么me Rodrigues, also relayed the call.
Is the group aligned with any political parties?
An anonymous member of the group told Le Parisien they were not aligned with any political party, however French politicians from across the political spectrum, including representatives of far-left party La France Insoumise, The Greens, the Socialist party and the Communist party have recently expressed their support of the movement.
"The main demand is that the Bayrou proposal announced before the summer be withdrawn. To prevent this plan from being implemented, the battle must be fought on all fronts," said LFI's coordinator, Manuel Bompard in a televised interview.
This political support appears to have sparked mixed reactions among mobilisation10septembre supporters who insist the movement remains apolitical so to encourage all members of the population to participate in the blockage.
The movement also does not appear to be aligned with any unions, however many unions have criticised the budget plan.
In a petition launched on July 22, unions including CGT, CFDT and FO criticised the 鈥渦nspeakable brutality鈥� of the plan.
How does the group operate?
The group launched a on July 19, however, since July 29 the site appears to have been taken down.
This is also the case regarding the group's social media accounts. Messages were previously posted on X and Instagram under the username @bloquonstout (block everything).
Group members are yet to clarify whether the deletion of their online presence was a deliberate decision or technical error.
Despite this, the movement still appears to be gaining momentum, with supporters attending a physical gathering in Paris on Monday (July 28). Around 50 people met in the Buttes-Chaumont park after organising the rendez-vous via encrypted messaging platform, Telegram, reported FranceInfo. The group is planning to meet again at the end of August.
Other small gatherings have since taken place in other areas of France such as Brest (Brittany).
What is the significance of the blockade date?
The group said it chose September 10 as the date for the blockade because it coincides with the "start of the social year, the moment when everything restarts."
By refusing to "power the machine that is crushing us," the group claims that September 10 could be "a date that changes everything."
What are they calling for?
The group is calling for a 鈥渃omplete shutdown鈥� of France from September 10, but what exactly does that mean?
It is calling for action in three main areas.
Boycott
The group describes boycotting as a 鈥渟imple but powerful weapon鈥�. It encourages people to:
Boycott supermarkets 鈥渢hat benefit from reduced social security contributions and government aid while squeezing employees such as Carrefour, Auchan and Amazon.
Withdraw money from major banks 鈥渢hat are complicit in speculation and social undermining policies鈥�, such as BNP Paribas and Soci茅t茅 G茅n茅rale, and invest it in cooperative or local banks.
Refuse to consume 鈥渨hat fuels the system鈥� including gasoline, fast fashion and 鈥減redatory digital platforms鈥� such as Uber and Deliveroo.
Stop working whenever possible: take time off, file sick leave, voluntarily slow down production.
Suspend symbolic payments: no longer validate your transport tickets, symbolically delay your taxes to denounce their unfair use.
Support short supply chains: buy local, trade, share, and manage among citizens.
Civil disobedience
The group says that 鈥渞efusing to obey unfair rules is legitimate鈥�. It gives examples including:
Withholding or slowdown in public services e.g. striking in healthcare, education and transport
Peaceful occupation of public buildings such as town halls
Targeted blockades e.g. of roads
Citizen solidarity
Protesting together is key, the movement says: 鈥淭his movement will only last if we support each other, concretely, day after day. Solidarity is not a slogan: it's a tool for survival and reconstruction.鈥� It gives examples including:
Where will the action take place?
The group hopes for country-wide action. Prior to the site's removal an interactive map had been published on its website detailing organised gatherings.
Cities where events are anticipated on September 10 include: Amiens, Angers, Avignon, Besan莽on, Bordeaux, Brest, Clermont-Ferrand, Dijon, Grenoble, Le Mans, Lille, Limoges, Lyon, Marseille, Metz, Montpellier, Nancy, Nice, Orl茅ans, Pau, Poitiers, Reims, Rennes, Strasbourg, Toulouse, Troyes, and Valenciennes.
Strategic blockades were also pinpointed on the map, notably at the Port du Havre and petrol stations in the 脦le-de-France region.
How much public support does the movement have?
The movement is still in its early days. It had almost 800 followers on the social network X before the account was deleted.
A Telegram discussion channel called Bloquons Tout ! - 10 septembre 2025 - Organisation had nearly 2,800 members on July 25, reported FranceInfo.
The group is also receiving media attention in France.
Polling suggests the majority of 麻豆传媒映画 may be resigned to the budget plan, yet other polls point to a deep dissatisfaction with PM Bayrou himself.
An Ifop poll for LCI showed the majority of 麻豆传媒映画 (57%) thought Bayrou鈥檚 budget plan was 鈥渘ecessary鈥� but just 28% of people thought that the plan was 鈥渇air鈥�.
However another poll, by Ipsos for RTL conducted after the budget announcement, found PM Bayrou鈥檚 popularity rating had dropped to 20% and 59% of people wanted a new prime minister.
