The dreaded day has arrived. The newly created movement 10th of September aims to mobilize over 100,000 activists in France under the slogan "Bloquons tout!" following the path of the yellow vests who seven years ago paralyzed the country with their blockades on roads, roundabouts, and basic infrastructures.
The casus belli was then the fuel tax and the cost of living; this time the spark ignited in the midst of a heatwave after the presentation of the austerity budget by François Bayrou with 43.8 billion euros in social cuts and the elimination of two public holidays. Far from calming spirits, the resignation of the Prime Minister has stirred up the scene: thousands of protesters took to the streets on Tuesday in front of city halls in major French cities with banners saying "Bye Bye Bayrou".
While it remains to be seen if the movement materializes, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau has decided to fortify the country with the deployment of 80,000 police officers with the mission to "control the terrain" and prevent up to 600 pre-identified blockades and disruptions.
Actions began in the early hours of Wednesday, with around 200 people detained. According to figures provided by the Paris police prefecture, 132 individuals were detained in the Paris metropolitan area. The Interior Minister, Bruno Retailleau, who has resigned and is the president of The Republicans (LR), once again accused "the extreme left" of having "hijacked" this mobilization born on social media.
In Paris, there were disturbances at the entrance of several schools such as Victor Hugo or Hélène Boucher. Marseille and Nantes were the hotspots with road closures and acts of vandalism on a day that was anticipated to be chaotic.
Dozens of strategic locations, such as the Champs-Élysées or the Gare du Nord in Paris, are awaiting the arrival of the fearsome Republican Security Companies (CRS), specialized in urban violence, ready to use their drones, armored vehicles Centaure, and their arsenal of tear gas and water cannons to disperse the protesters.
Bruno Retailleau has warned against the presence of "small hate groups against the police" who take advantage of any excuse to incite violence and vandalism. The minister and leader of The Republicans stated that there is a link between these groups and the extreme left and pointed his finger at the leader of La France Insoumise (LFI), Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who has decided to support the protest day, unevenly backed by the unions (who have called for a general strike on September 18).
"La France Insoumise is calling to fan the flames of the French people's exasperation and anger, and their goal is to create a climate of insurrection," declared Retailleau on the eve of September 10th. Mélenchon responded and stated that the Interior Minister "has declared war on the French people". "We have the constitutional right to peacefully demonstrate", emphasized the LFI leader, stating that he does not support violence or disorder.
Although the origin of the movement is uncertain, all signs point to the spark igniting in May, the first time Julien Marissiaux, an entrepreneur from the north of the country, used the slogan "Bloquons tout!" on a Telegram channel, directly calling for the dismissal of Emmanuel Macron.
The buzz gained momentum on social media after the announcement of Bayrou's austerity budget in mid-July. The far-right distanced itself, and the movement shifted towards the left, eventually gaining political and logistical support from La France Insoumise at the end of August.
The goal is to achieve a nationwide standstill for a day, with strikes in shops, public services, and transportation, disruptions at airports and train stations, and blockades on streets, roads, and refinery entrances.
The inevitable reference is the Yellow Vests movement, which mobilized over three million French citizens in roadblocks and roundabouts since late 2018. Their actions resulted in 6,400 arrests, over 2,000 injuries, and at least 500 cases of police abuse.
Jacline Moraud, godmother of the Yellow Vests movement and founder of the Emergent party, has given her moral support to September 10th and directly accused the president of the explosive situation in the country: "Macron's France is the France of the poor: the feeling of abandonment persists, and the challenge has only grown".
Meanwhile, a total of 86 deputies, mostly from Jean-Luc Mélenchon's La France Insoumise, presented a motion of impeachment against President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday. In the statement of reasons, the deputies accuse Macron of "acting like an autocrat", "threatening the Republic", and "violating the Constitution in several aspects".
Although the impeachment of the president (invoking article 68 of the Constitution) can be initiated with the support of a tenth of the National Assembly, the initiative would have to go through numerous stages, could be rejected by the Assembly's board if it does not meet the requirements, and has little chance of succeeding.