France is bracing for potential disruptions on 10 September — two days after a planned no-confidence vote in the government — after calls for a nationwide shutdown by fringe online groups gained the backing of mainstream political parties.
The viral push for mass demonstrations and an all-out boycott of services is seen as a response to deeply controversial austerity measures unveiled by Prime Minister François Bayrou in July, which would see two public holidays axed and social benefits and pensions frozen.
