Several hundred thousand people took part in the mobilisation on 10 September. From dawn to dusk, the movement unfolded in various forms: blockades, rallies, demonstrations, pickets and general assemblies. The atmosphere was radical and combative. Young people dominated the marches, especially in the big cities.
This is all the more significant given that the mobilisation had to overcome many obstacles. This summer, the ‘liberal’ press loudly denounced the hand of the ‘far right’ as being behind the movement. Then, when organisations of the labour movement called for mobilisation on 10 September, the same journalists rallied to Minister of the Interior Bruno Retailleau’s ever-subtle analysis: the “ultra-left” was going to set the country ablaze, under the cynical and cold leadership of the modern-day Nero, Jean-Luc Mélenchon. Or maybe all this was the work of… Vladimir Putin! In these turbulent times, ‘journalists’ in the pay of those in power will stop at nothing, no matter how absurd.
Faced with the predicted ‘violence’ and ‘chaos’, the (resigned) Minister of the Interior promised brutal repression. In fact, attempts at blockades were systematically suppressed, as were several demonstrations and rallies.
But the obstacles did not come only from the government, the reactionary media and the state apparatus. Instead of throwing all their forces into 10 September, the leaders of the trade union confederations agreed at the end of August to call for a day of action on 18 September. This competing date could only harm the mobilisation on 10 September. The union leaders knew this very well.
Despite all this, 10 September was a success. It is undeniable that Mélenchon – like others – contributed to this. But the fundamental cause of the ‘Bloquons tout’ (Block everything) movement is the enormous amount of social anger that has been building up in the depths of society for many years. It is the counter-reforms, austerity, inflation, job insecurity, the destruction of public services, company closures, restricted admissions to university, state-sponsored racism, the genocide of the Gazans and the complicity of French imperialism, the repression of pro-Palestinian activists – and many other sources of indignation and suffering.
The latest was the appointment of Sébastien Lecornu, Macron’s political double, to Prime Minister. This is both a provocation and a flagrant expression of the crisis of the French capitalist regime. With a 12 percent approval rating, Macron persists and declares: “it’s me or chaos”. Millions of young people and workers have taken this as a call to intensify the mobilisation to oust the madman from the Elysée. And rightly so.
And now?
As we have said, 18 September was designed by the highest echelons of the trade union movement as an obstacle to the mobilisation of 10 September. However, 18 September was also imposed on the leaders of the trade union confederations by the movement of 10 September. Now, 18 September is likely to mark a qualitative leap in the mobilisation. In other words, the momentum of the struggle could very well escape the conservative manoeuvres of these union leaders.
Many workers chose to ‘skip’ the 10th and take action on the 18th, which is now shaping up to be massive. The youth who mobilised yesterday will also be mobilised on the 18th, and undoubtedly in greater numbers. However, the 18th must not be a ‘day of action’ without a follow-up or a battle plan. From now on, youth organisations and the labour movement must convene general assemblies to make 18 September the starting point of a movement aimed at ‘blocking everything’, i.e. paralysing the economy through renewable strikes in as many sectors as possible. Only the development of such a movement can create the conditions for a decisive victory for our side.
It is clear that the leaders of the trade union confederations are not prepared to steer the movement in this direction. Therefore, while continuing to increase pressure on the union leaders, the most militant organisations of the left and the trade union movement – starting with La France Insoumise and the left wing of the CGT – must take the initiative to convene and lead general assemblies in order to put forward an offensive battle plan based on a radical programme.
The time for a futile succession of ‘days of action’ is over; the time has come for decisive mobilisation against Macron, Lecornu, the entire right wing and the big bourgeoisie. 10 September was the first thunderclap. Let us make the 18th the beginning of a social storm that will pose the question: who should run society? Is it the working class, which creates all the wealth? Or is it the handful of giant parasites who, to defend their profits, want to impose drastic austerity on us?
