On July 10, a 23-year-old master's student launched a petition urging the French government to drop legislation allowing the reintroduction of acetamiprid, a pesticide that is harmful to ecosystems but popular with many farmers in Europe.
Banned in France since 2018, the chemical remains legal in the European Union, and proponents say French farmers need it to help them compete.
Support for the petition spread like wildfire, with university lecturers, actors, left-wing lawmakers and star chefs backing it.
It had racked up 1.9 million signatures by Thursday afternoon.
The controversial legislation is dubbed the Duplomb law, after its author, Laurent Duplomb, a senator for the right-wing Republicans party.
The bill was adopted on July 8, but without a proper debate, to bypass gridlock in a bitterly divided parliament.
Signatories of the petition have urged President Emmanuel Macron not to sign it into law.
The petition calls the legislation a "frontal attack on public health".
But supporters say their frustration goes beyond environmental concerns. Commentators say it may be a sign of exasperation with deadlock in a hung parliament and a desire to have a greater say in political matters.
Elodie Germain, 46, said the mobilisation represents a form of "democratic revenge", after Macron forced a controversial pension reform through parliament in 2023 and dissolved the lower chamber last year, sparking political turmoil that resulted in a hung parliament.
"There is of course an environmental aspect behind my signature, but there is also a lot of frustration," said Germain.
"After the pension reform and the dissolution, here we have another example of a bill being forced through parliament."
- 'Blindness of our politicians' -
Francois Veillerette of environmental association Generations Futures struck a similar note.
"People have felt for months that they are not being listened to," he said.
Such is the success of the mobilisation that representatives of France's culinary world, usually reticent about airing political views, published an open letter calling for the withdrawal of the legislation and a moratorium on pesticide use.
"We are appalled by the blindness of our politicians and their now all-too-obvious ties to the agro-industry," said the letter, which has collected signatures from nearly 400 people, including Michelin-starred chefs and restaurateurs.
"We, restaurateurs, work hard, we keep our mouths shut and get on with it," said Glenn Viel, a celebrated 3-star Michelin chef.
"But at some point, you have to bang your fist on the table."
Jacques Marcon, another 3-star Michelin chef, said he was ready to become "a true activist for the agricultural and environmental cause".
Newspaper Le Monde said the petition had put politicians on edge.
"The unprecedentedly large grassroots movement making itself heard on environmental issues through the now-famous petition has caught everyone off guard," it said in an editorial.
The petition has drawn attention to parliament's "shortcomings", it added.
- 'Completely abnormal' -
In France, if a petition submitted on the National Assembly's website reaches 500,000 signatures, parliament's lower house may choose to hold a public debate, limited to the content of the petition.
While any review of the legislation is unlikely at this stage, the government is under increasing pressure to respond.
France has a long history of mass protests, including the yellow vest protests for economic justice. The grassroots movement began in 2018 with a petition calling for lower fuel prices.
Several left-wing parties and environmental associations have urged Macron to demand a "new deliberation" of the legislation in parliament.
On Wednesday, Macron said he would wait for the conclusions of the Constitutional Council, due to rule on the validity of the legislation by August 10, according to the government spokeswoman.
Experts warn that if no solution is found, the situation could breed even more frustration.
Guillaume Gourgues, a lecturer in political science at the University of Lyon 2, who signed the petition, said it was "completely abnormal" that there was no outlet in France for "a mobilisation of this magnitude".
"No one has the slightest idea what this will achieve," he said, referring to the proposed parliamentary debate.
Gally Vangeenberghe, a 21-year-old sales assistant from the northern city of Lille, said the fact the legislation had been adopted without debate was "heresy."
"I find it unacceptable."
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