September 10: The first warning

Like a metronome, from dawn and throughout the day, the "Block Everything" mobilizations spread across the country on Wednesday, September 10. The date had been set on the protest calendar for weeks. The date was honored.

Like so many sparks fueling the fire of social anger, these hundreds of demonstrations, more or less spontaneous, testify to a widespread discontent. They express the massive rejection of an austerity policy and social injustice that impoverishes the most vulnerable and pampers the richest. But they are also – and above all – a powerful warning addressed directly to the head of state.

Deaf, Emmanuel Macron persists, trapped between his certainties and his arrogance. Yes, the appointment of Sébastien Lecornu to Matignon the night before is yet another affront, a further blow to democracy. Yes, the Élysée Palace is once again trampling on the results of the ballot box. But the fuse strategy has fizzled. This Wednesday, the protesters put Macronism in their crosshairs.

A strange dichotomy. On one side, on the steps of Matignon, the bland, muted atmosphere of a transfer of power that resembles a farce; on the other, at the same time and a few streets away, the repression that is unleashed without restraint against a social movement. This is the other lesson of this day. The man who resigned from Place Beauvau deliberately opted for violence against peaceful demonstrators, using tear gas even in front of schools, at the time of the start of the school year. Disastrous images of a power at bay.

Let's bet that this September 10th will usher in a new phase. Milestones have already been set, promising that the bellows of righteous anger will not die down. On September 18th, at the call of the inter-union, demonstrations are planned throughout France. And this weekend, the Fête de l'Humanité will be what it has always been: a formidable sounding board for the hopes of a more just world.