"Block everything" is the rallying call for a protest movement in France that is causing chaos and disruption for thousands of travellers on Wednesday 10 September.
ADVERTISEMENT
France is dealing with a day of gridlock as a grassroots movement to ‘block everything’ threatens to paralyse the country’s transport networks and create havoc for commuters and tourists in the country.
The demonstrations, branded Bloquons Tout (‘let’s block everything’), are part of a nationwide strike against the now ex-Prime Minister François Bayrou’s proposed austerity plan – action that will continue even after his fragile minority government collapsed this week.
The movement to "block everything" bubbled up online as far back as July. In recent weeks, it spread rapidly on TikTok, Telegram and other platforms with viral calls for boycotts, blockades and strikes.
Its popular beginnings have drawn comparisons with the Yellow Vest protests in 2018, which grew from anger over fuel prices into nationwide action against political elites.
At the heart of the discontentment this time is Bayrou’s 2026 financial plan, which sought to cut €44 billion from the national budget to reduce France’s deficit. Key measures included removing two national holidays, freezing pensions and cutting €5 billion in health spending.
The protest now comes amid deepening political turmoil. Bayrou’s debt reduction plan drew widespread outrage and led him to announce his resignation on Monday.
His government lasted just nine months, making him France’s third prime minister to step down in the past year.
What travellers can expect amid strikes in France
France’s transport sector is currently bearing the brunt of the action, with many local transport services cancelled and delays to intercity rail networks.
Sud-Rail pledged a ‘massive strike’ that would lead to thousands of SNCF rail cancellations nationwide. Regional RER and Transilien services around Paris are operating on reduced timetables.
Bonjour RATP, the mobile app run by the Paris public transport operator, says there are heavy disruptions on several commuter lines with the metro service in some central areas perturbed by clashes between police and demonstrators.
Although the country’s unions were not behind the original campaign, their recent support has given it extra weight. The powerful CGT union recently endorsed the action, raising the prospect of disruption to trains, ferries, fuel supplies and other services.
Eurostar, the high-speed service linking London with Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam, said its trains would run as normal during the strike. But with France’s domestic rail services severely disrupted, knock-on effects remain likely. Travellers could face missed connections, limited onward options and crowded alternative routes.
Commuters and tourists stuck in key stations
Hundreds of tourists and local commuters alike were stranded in stations like Paris Gare du Nord and other locations, due to the travel disruptions on Wednesday.
John, a Eurostar passenger travelling from Paris to London told Euronews: “I'm glad I got here early,” he chuckled. All passengers at Paris Gare du Nord are being directed away from the protesters and around a separate entrance.
Other tourists having come from further away, are more unsure about how to deal with these protests.
"I’m a little scared because I’m not sure what is happening and there’s not much information. I have been asking locals what to do and where to go. I’m confused about what to do on my last day in Paris. But It’s an interesting addition to my Paris adventures," Sia, a 28-year old Canadian tourist, said.
"I wanted to visit Versailles but probably because of the cancelled trains, it’s not going to happen. The other people in my hostel don’t want to leave the hostel and are scared. We’re all tourists and have no family here. God forbid something happens.”
For some, travelling with children has become a veritable nightmare.
Inside the Paris Gare du Nord train station, Bruno and his family sought refuge from the commotion and violence outside.
“We saw the police and the protesters starting to clash and quickly decided to get away from this. It doesn’t make you feel safe, especially when you have children with you,” he told Euronews.
Air traffic control strikes loom
Even more transport disruption awaits travellers in France this month. France’s largest air traffic controllers’ union has confirmed a 24-hour walkout from 18 to 19 September.
Expected to be one of the biggest ATC strikes in years, the action will affect not only flights to and from France but also thousands that cross its airspace. Routes between the UK, Spain, Italy and other European destinations are likely to see delays and cancellations.
The interruptions follow a wave of strikes in July that grounded hundreds of flights, stranding passengers during the peak summer travel season and drawing the ire of airlines. With September’s walkout falling outside the holidays, airlines warn of limited flexibility to rebook travellers quickly.
Under EU passenger rights legislation, anyone whose flight is cancelled is entitled to re-routing on the earliest available service – including with other airlines – as well as hotel accommodation and meals if stranded overnight. Financial compensation is typically not provided for ATC strikes, however.
With political upheaval in Paris, protests nationwide and airport strikes all occurring at once, September is shaping up to be a difficult month for anyone travelling in or across France.
Passengers are advised to plan ahead, monitor updates from operators closely and brace for last-minute changes.
