Radical Left-wing leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon has called for a new French Revolution from an army of young left-wing workers, many of whom will try to bring France to a halt on September 10.
“Anger, my friends, ladies and gentlemen — anger is legitimate, and it runs deep. It is not out of whim or caprice that once again people will sacrifice a day’s wages. It is not out of whim that they will block everything. They do it because life has become unbearable for the majority of people in this country,” he said on September 6.
The 74-year-old politician has called September 10 as a turning point, comparing it directly to the French Revolution of 1789.
According to Mélenchon, just as it took the Revolution to force the aristocracy to pay their fair share, it will take a similar upheaval to make today’s elites contribute financially to the French society.
“On September 10, the people will block everything because life has become unlivable. Their anger is legitimate and deep. There is only one sovereign in this country. The powerful … despise the people. It will take [another] 1789 for them to financially contribute to society,” he said.
The leader, who once identified as a Trotskyist, is backed by “young radical workers”, according to a study by the Fondation Jean-Jaurès (FJJ), a French think-tank associated with the Socialist Party.
What began on Telegram during the spring has snowballed into one of the most discussed and anticipated rallies of the year.
On May 21, a message posted in a channel called Les Essentiels announced: “On September 10, France will come to a standstill.”
Three months later, the call has spread well beyond its northern French origins, drawing in former Yellow Vests protestors, environmental activists and established parties on the Left.
Almost three-quarters of those identifying with the Block Everything movement describe themselves as “very interested” in politics, compared with fewer than one in five among the broader French population, the FJJ said in its September 6 study.
The supporters of the movement are overwhelmingly left-wing.
Some 69 per cent backed Mélenchon in the first round of the 2022 presidential election (versus 22 per cent nationally).
According to the study, the 25-34 age group is also strongly represented within the movement.
“The data suggest that ‘Block Everything’ is a movement structured primarily by younger generations, who are often at the heart of left-wing social rallies, while pensioners, who played a significant role in the ‘yellow vests’ movement, appear to be largely absent here,” the FJJ study said.
While the Yellow Vests rallied around shared experiences of economic hardship and declining purchasing power, Bloquons tout appears driven by a clear political vision: radical redistribution, scepticism toward institutions, and a refusal to engage in debates over identity.
France’s left-wing forces, from the unions to anti-capitalist publications and movements, have been backing the movement..
Interior minister Bruno Retailleau has played down the likelihood of major unrest, but the intelligence services have warned of possible disruptive and violent action.
With calls to paralyse transport, schools and industry, security officials are bracing for a volatile day.
French interior minister Bruno Retailleau has downplayed the likelihood of large-scale demonstrations during a nationwide strike planned for next week, even as intelligence services warned of disruptive and possibly violent action. https://t.co/XxvLoClMw8
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) September 5, 2025
