Seven years following the "Gilets Jaunes" or Yellow Vests demonstrations and the well-known roadblock occupations that stirred France, a fresh grassroots movement named "Bloquons Tout" — Block Everything — is confronting President Emmanuel Macron's administration, with parallels drawn to the 2018 incidents.
But how similar are the widespread protests?
The close resemblance between them is that they both originated on social media, the main channel for expressing dissatisfaction and mobilizing individuals across the globe.
"The Gilets Jaunes protests mainly took place on Facebook, with groups having as many as 1 million active members, indicating a widespread mobilization driven by intense, emotional, and rapidly spreading content," Véronique Reille Soult, a social media expert,commented in Les Echos.
The outward manifestation of the Block Everything movement is mainly seen on X and reflects a more aggressive, action-oriented form of organization, which at this point has not achieved the same level of natural backing.
The Orange Vest and Block Everything campaigns also have in common that the calls for action did not originate from conventional political parties or labor unions, nor from clearly recognized public figures, but rather from citizen-led initiatives that challenged the existing power structures.
However, in addition to standard disruption methods that involve high-profile activities, there are subtleties in determining the leaders, reasons, and objectives behind each specific protest.
Root causes of unrest
Triggered by a proposed increase in government fuel taxes, the Yellow Vests began as an impromptu community-driven initiative, eventually transforming into a widespread expression of frustration towards social disparities and the established elite.
Gaining backing from the working class, retirees, and individuals most impacted by instability, it emphasized France's division between its rural, outlying regions and its main cities.
"We are not the invisible France," stated one of their leaflets.
Jerome Rodrigues, a key personality in the movement,told at the moment when what motivated individuals to take to the streets was straightforward.
"All that individuals desire is the ability to sustain themselves through their wages," Rodrigues mentioned.
Simply having enough food to last until the end of the month and occasionally taking the children to watch a film.
Influenced by the former Prime Minister Francois Bayrou's 2026 financial proposal, which featured aproposal to remove two national holidaysThe Block Everything protest includes measures of fiscal restraint, reductions in pensions and social welfare, and criticizes the free-market system as a whole.
"There is a wish to hinder the economy specifically," Patrick Vassort, a sociologist and political scientist from the University of Caen,told Radio France.I believe activists have realized that the most effective method of applying pressure is now to disrupt movements rather than to protest in urban areas.
Economic movements encompass both the flow of money and the movement of workers, trucks, and goods.
Similar to the Yellow Vests, Block Everything does not have a distinct leadership group. Nevertheless, it is organized through multiple online platforms that reflect ideological, albeit varied, origins.
Although the supposed originator of the movement, "Les essentiels" (The Essentials), is a conservative sovereignist group advocating for Christianity and France's exit from the EU or the so-called Frexit, it was accompanied by groups aligned with radical left ideology, such as “Indignons-nous"Let Us Be Indignant," which is now among the key organizers.
Chaos and overturning of tables
In general, as illustrated ina recent studyinitiated by the French Fondation Jean Jaures, the foundation of the Block Everything movement is more politically engaged, younger, and represents a wider range of social backgrounds compared to the Yellow Vests.
Therefore, its wider objective is to "turn the table" on what advocates view as a neoliberal political and economic system they criticize as inefficient, unjust, corrupt, and incapable of tackling the issues facing French society, ranging from financial difficulties to environmental concerns.
Nevertheless, neither the Yellow Vests nor Block Everything can be entirely categorized, which is likely one of the reasons behind the broad appeal of these movements.
The extent of Block Everything's influence at this point, which is still smaller compared to the Yellow Vests, remains to be evaluated.
Over the course of seven years between the two movements, a series of internal and external events have disrupted communities across the globe: the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia's conflict in Ukraine, the Israel-Hamas conflict, numerous disasters linked to climate change, and the transatlantic tensions initiated by the Trump administration, among others.
All of this led to a heightened feeling of hopelessness and frustration with political leaders, who were generally seen as ineffective in guiding the nation out of the worldwide downturn.
Emotions that are not unique to France. Across Europe, in countries such as Spain, Germany, Italy, the UK, and the Netherlands, a wave of disruptive, citizen-led protest movements has emerged.
The magnitude of the French initiatives remains distinctive. In addition to its immediate aim of removing Macron, the key issue now is whether Block Everything can grow and play a role in redefining the nation's political landscape.
And regarding Block Everything, there is an evident lesson it could take from its vibrant, high-visibility attire predecessor.
Undoubtedly, there is a 'before' and an 'after' of the Yellow Vests in public discussions," Le Bart stated, referring to the movement as "democracy at the roundabouts.
As per Le Bart, the Yellow Vests highlight social groups that typically feel overlooked, "a France struggling at the end of the month, a France facing uncertainty, which restricts its spending — relatively quiet but yet significant in numbers."