WORLD WORLDWIDE EUROPE FRANCE - news journal UPDATE - (en) France, Lamouette enragee: Releasing the brakes... (ca, de, fr, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

 Releasing the brakes... ---- Long announced, the September 10th event

offered a glimpse, for once, of a social return to work that lived up to
the announcement. Debated and prepared in many places, the initiative
nevertheless left some doubts about the direction to take with the
slogan: "Block everything!" When the day came, actions were followed by
words, with varying degrees of success and hesitation, alongside other,
more traditional forms of intervention such as the traditional
demonstration. At this point, it is still too early to deduce the
consequences...

Finding the way out...

No one was unaware that it would be difficult to recover from the defeat
suffered in 2023. This is partly due to the strategy deployed by an
"inter-union" bureaucracy, closely aligned behind the CFDT. A bitter
failure, if ever there was one, that came in the wake of the repression
of the Yellow Vest movement, giving the bourgeoisie free rein to
escalate its policies. Since then, the prevailing climate has certainly
contributed to resignation, but in turn has fueled growing anger and
resentment, which urgently need to be expressed in a liberating way.
Failing that, it will be the demagogues and politicians of all stripes,
eagerly exploiting the current slump, who will reap the rewards. In its
own way, the call to "Block Everything!" confirms this observation and
attempts to respond by proposing an emancipatory perspective.

On both sides, limits must be overcome

 From what we can see, the mobilization is not, or is still timidly,
spreading beyond activist circles. The demand to "Block Everything!" ",
empirically indicates the path to follow(1), but leaves aside those who
rightly suspect that it will take a little more than the will and
know-how of a few to achieve it... This is undoubtedly the reason why
many workers are waiting for September 18th to mobilize. Even if it
loses, the "inter-union" strategy remains a reassuring framework for
many. The unions are not mistaken, and the small maneuvers have already
begun(2)...

However, there is no inevitability that the state-sanctioned
bureaucracies will once again regain control of the mobilization. To
avoid this, contacts must be established and in-depth debates must be
collectively fostered well beyond the catalogs of actions established in
general meetings, which are often more formal than anything else...

In Boulogne-sur-Mer, September 10th

There were no surprises of any kind, neither good nor bad. No blockade
worthy of the name was implemented, for the simple reason that a
blockade requires organization, logistics, and a certain number of
actors. Early in the morning in Capécure, a few STEF (logistics)
strikers had emerged, but as they themselves lamented, there were "not
enough of them to do anything." So, some 150 people, mainly left-wing
activists and a few high school students, gathered in front of the
sub-prefecture starting at 9:30 a.m. A large number of them then went to
the hospital, wandering freely through the streets of the town. There,
the CGT union organized a picket at the reception desk, and a general
meeting was held late in the morning to decide on future actions.

And now?

This September 10th day marked a milestone; it remains to be seen how it
resonates with the exploited who have not yet mobilized. The direction
the struggle will take in the coming weeks, if there is a struggle,
depends exclusively on them.

Boulogne-sur-mer, September 10, 2025.

(1) We must fundamentally question this notion of "blockade," which in
some circles has become accustomed to brandishing like a fetish. The
strike, too, and its modalities need to be re-examined rather than
shelved, as some blockade ideologues are rather hastily asserting.

(2) In Calais, the CGT (General Confederation of Labor) called for a
rally at 10 a.m. in front of the town hall, while for several weeks now,
the alternative media outlet "Calais La Sociale" has been announcing the
holding of a popular assembly at the same time in Parc St. Pierre. Below
is the press release produced for the occasion by "Calais La Sociale":

CALAIS LA SOCIALE

September 10 in Calais:

Between centralized procession and popular assembly, two visions of the
struggle
September 10 will be a day of social mobilization in Calais. But from
the morning, two events collide, revealing two ways of imagining the
struggle.

Two overlapping calls

At 9:30 a.m., a popular general assembly will begin in Saint-Pierre
Park. The objective: to create an open space for expression, where
residents, employees, and activists can share their experiences and
collectively decide on the next steps in the movement.

At 10:15 a.m., the CGT (General Confederation of Trade Unions), joined
by Sud and the FSU (Union of Unions of Solidarity), called for a
demonstration starting from the town hall with the local unions of
Saint-Omer, Boulogne, Berck, and Calais. The leaflet is explicit: after
the march, a delegation will be received by the sub-prefect to present
their demands.

A Deliberate Collision

The decision to organize this demonstration at the same time as the
assembly is not insignificant. It is a way for the local union
leadership to impose their framework: a centralized procession, followed
by a small delegation in a closed office.

On the other hand, the assembly proposes another path: a public,
horizontal space where participants can debate, develop a collective
mandate, and imagine a local coordination system that is equal to the
social anger.

The union leaflet emphasizes the need for strikes and walkouts "wherever
possible," but in practice, the call prioritizes staging a structured
national day rather than building a self-organized struggle committee.

The rest of the day

The mobilization will continue at the Maison d'Entraide et de Ressources
(3 rue de Croy):
6 p.m.: Film debate: The History of the Yellow Vests by Us.
6:30 p.m.: Commemoration in front of Richelieu Park for the exiled
worker who died at sea this Tuesday afternoon.
8 p.m.: Vegan and free-price canteen (Maison d'Entraide et de Ressources)
A strong gesture has reinforced this momentum: the Alhambra cinema has
announced the cancellation of all its screenings on Wednesday, September
10, in solidarity with the movement. Its lobby will remain open from 2
p.m. to 7 p.m., with coffee offered to those who wish to meet and chat.

Towards unity?

The essential thing for this nascent movement, beyond this clash, will
be not to remain divided. If September 10th is to mark a turning point,
it will be by bringing together union and citizen forces, by seeking to
build a common front that transcends imposed boundaries and gives
strength to those who want to fight, here and now.

P.S.: To clarify: it has never been our intention to pit unions against
citizens. Since this small, penniless media outlet has existed, we have
strived to forge links between activisms, whatever they may be.

We know the importance of the union role in defending the world of work.
Not a month goes by without us giving a free voice to those in struggle,
whether they are union members or not.

What we're emphasizing is that in Calais, there's also a desire to build
a broader grassroots space, where precarious workers, workers with or
without papers, and community members can also have a voice. We're not
inventing this; we've been documenting it for three years. The purpose
of a popular general meeting is to bring everyone together. Trade
unionists have always been invited.

Talking about these contradictions doesn't play into the "right's
hands": on the contrary, it's by debating frankly and putting the
struggle at the center of the debate that we stop limiting ourselves to
reactionary themes. Pelloutier, Pouget, Monatte... trade unionists have
published entire libraries to expose their controversies and express
their differences.
The union is not a church; it's a space for encounters and stimulating
power struggles.

See you tomorrow.

https://lamouetteenragee.noblogs.org/post/2025/09/11/4106/
http://oclibertaire.lautre.net/spip.php?article4513
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