Why are motorcyclists protesting today?

The FFMC is organizing this motorcyclists’ mobilization in partnership with the collective “Les #Gueux”. The goal: to protest against the expansion of Low Emission Zones (LEZ), a system implemented in many urban areas to limit the circulation of the most polluting vehicles.

Since January 1, 2025, 25 French metropolitan areas are implementing restrictions related to LEZ, with plans to expand to 43 zones in the coming months. This system gradually bans access to vehicles classified Crit’Air 3 or higher, which, according to FFMC, would affect over 12 million French people.

One of the main grievances expressed by opponents is the lack of harmonization. Each city applies its own rules and schedule, creating, they say, widespread confusion among users. They no longer know precisely where they can or cannot circulate.

A social impact denounced

While FFMC acknowledges the importance of environmental issues, it emphasizes the socially unfair nature of LEZ. According to its representatives, these restrictions primarily affect modest households, which cannot afford to upgrade their vehicle to a newer, less polluting model. This would restrict access to employment, services, healthcare, or leisure activities, due to a lack of sufficient public transportation alternatives. Professionals using a vehicle for work, such as artisans, merchants, or delivery drivers, would also be penalized, facing replacement costs, fines, and loss of customers.

FFMC recalls that it has opposed LEZ for over 14 years, considering that this environmental policy is implemented at the expense of a large part of the population. The collective “Les #Gueux”, which co-organizes this mobilization, echoes the slogan “Yes to ecology, no to exclusion”, highlighting the testimony of committed personalities, such as writer and filmmaker Alexandre Jardin, who summarizes their position as follows: “We purify the air of the rich by driving out the poor.”

Supported by several elected officials and mayors, this mobilization aims to be inclusive of all road users, regardless of their mode of transportation. FFMC therefore calls on drivers, motorcyclists, cyclists, or ordinary citizens to join the gatherings scheduled throughout the country this Sunday.

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