The first references on this date, whose choice does not seem to have any particular justification, date back to May, at least. But it was in July, thanks to the savings measures announced by the Prime Minister, that they gained visibility.
Originally launched by a rather confidential telegram channel, declined on a site called “Les essentials France”, this watchword is relayed by various discussion groups. With a main organizational channel, “let’s indignant”, bringing together several thousand Internet users.
On many accounts (Tiktok, Facebook, X, Telegram), already established or specially created, messages from this movement in the gas state can mention the RIC (Referendum of Citizen Initiative), claim wage increases and pensions or call for “resistance”, voluntary confinement or general strike.
Nearly seven years after the Yellow Vests Movement, which had arrested by its magnitude, “the ingredients of anger (feeling of downgrading at the bottom of the middle class, end of the difficult month for the popular categories and generalized fiscal fiscal fiscal) have not disappeared,” notes the director of the opinion department at Ifop Jérôme Fourquet in the point.
“Fire lighter”
“And it is on these still glowing embers that the government has poured a can of petrol with its rigor plan […]the fire lighter being, to spin the metaphor of the barbecue, the removal of two holidays “, according to him.
“Since the yellow vests, it now appears possible to build traditional political or union off -scope mobilizations, making use of social networks,” observes for the historian Stéphane Sirot.
This social movements specialist notes, however, that September 10 falls on Wednesday, while the yellow vests demonstrated on Saturday, the day off for the majority of employees.
The planned actions are sometimes classic, of “strike type”, and “less classic, as” do not use your bank card from September 10 “or” do not go shopping in supermarkets “, notes Mr. Sirot.
On the ground, at the end of July, a few dozen people gathered to debate in parks, in Paris or Strasbourg, according to Franceinfo and Mediapart.
How can this movement resonate or not with the strategy of the unions? The confederations have an appointment on September 1 to discuss the actions to be carried out, after having denounced in particular the project to suppress two holidays.
Without waiting, several departmental unions and federations of the CGT, including those of chemistry and trade, have already planned to mobilize on September 10.
“There is something to be angry, you need mobilizations, there will be many of September 10, and there will be others,” said Thomas Vacheron, confederal secretary of the union.
“Beginning of the struggle”
The CGT Mines-Energies Federation calls for strike from September 2.
Against budgetary measures, Force Ouvrière also announced a strike notice from September 1 and a strike is envisaged in Parisian hospitals.
Some politicians support the call of September 10, such as MEPs Clémentine Autain and Alexis Corbiere, ex-LFI sitting in the Ecologist group. They are signatories of a platform published by the Revue Regards calling for this date “the beginning of the struggle” for “a dignified and happy life”.
The leader of rebellious France Jean-Luc Mélenchon assured on his blog recognizing himself in the “reasons for this action”, while emphasizing the importance of his “independence” as “condition of his success”.
“We follow, we look at what is happening on the networks, we are vigilant,” says PS deputy Arthur Delaporte. “When we call to join a movement, it is within the framework of an inter -union, this is not the case. »»
Same reserve, on the far right, at the deputy RN Edwige Diaz. Her party “in principle cannot be an instigator of demonstrations”, she underlined on France Inter, while “including the distress of these French”.
“I do not have the impression that it works very strongly,” says a government source. While remaining cautious: “We can be wrong, there were many who did not feel the yellow vests and they arrived …”