Mobilization of October 17: how the yellow vests try to structure the movement, relaunched by high school anger

The mobilization planned for Saturday October 17 should make it possible to express a general fed up, linked to the rise in fuel prices, the drop in purchasing power and also the deterioration of public services. A call to “block everything” had already been launched in September by young TikTokers but the movement was not at all structured and seemed to be a flop. In mid-October, the high school students' movement has relaunched everything and for several days, certain figures of the yellow vests have been trying to launch a "convergence of struggles and generations".

Above all, they try to structure the mobilization. On Telegram messaging, the movement has been very clear since Monday October 12. Discussion groups between high school students are strongly encouraged to migrate to other exchange groups called “Yellow Vests AND Generation Z”.

Each region has its own chat channel. In the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes canal, Kevin suggests, for example, gathering in front of a refinery near Lyon. In Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur, in Marseille, Seb is looking for people to occupy the Europe roundabout, people also to block gas stations, toll booths, train stations, etc.

All of these actions, nearly a thousand, are listed on two interactive maps circulating on the internet. To prevent the movement from going in all directions, each Telegram discussion has a manager. One of them notably left this voice on a chat channel: “People are going to gather on the evening of the 16th, so go there, even today if you want. We must establish our position as soon as possible.”

The historic yellow vests are in action, figures of the movement like Jérôme Rodrigues. His video published Monday October 12 on Facebook has more than 300,000 views. “Yellow vests, high school students, workers, retirees, our struggles can come together and today we have a deadline, October 17, 2026,” he explains.

On Facebook, another name for the yellow vests, Eric Drouet mobilizes his subscribers and encourages farmers, garbage collectors, firefighters and railway workers to join the movement. A call heard by Damien, a switchman at the SNCF. “We are going to try to form a small group of railway workers in the demonstration on October 17 because it is perhaps also the time to go there, for us, to get everything we need to live and not survive,” he emphasizes on X.

On the union side, Solidaires and the Confédération paysanne have announced their participation. The CGT has indicated its support for this mobilization and will be present “wherever the conditions are met”. But for the moment, it is difficult to predict the extent or otherwise of this movement on Saturday October 17.