A graffiti calling for mobilization in support of the September 10 Bloquons Tout movement, in Bordeaux, on September 9, 2025. PHILIPPE LOPEZ/AFP
In the grievance lists of the French people taking part in various blockades on Wednesday, September 10, the difficulty of making ends meet appears in many forms. Many condemn the budget of former prime minister François Bayrou, which demanded much from those with little and advocated for painful austerity. They denounce stagnant wages, increasingly difficult household budgets and impossible choices when filling shopping carts, all of which are far removed from the government's concerns. These same grievances were voiced during the "farewell parties" organized across France on September 8, after the prime minister's resignation.
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The fall of François Bayrou: A lackluster end for the French prime minister
In Paris's 20th arrondissement, at least 200 people gathered at Place Gambetta. "It's a great victory tonight! The next government should think about the poor and retirees. Everything is expensive, everything is increasing," 60-year-old Amina Elrhardour told Agence France-Presse (AFP). In the southwest, a 43-year-old tour guide told Reuters, "I am extremely angry with the political system in France, which favors large corporations, which favors ultra-wealthy billionaires, and which (...) erodes the rights of ordinary French citizens – the very ones who keep the country running."
