On March 31, over 1.2 million took to the streets across the country in a massive general strike. Not all major unions joined the strike, but institutions from schools to the Eiffel Tower were closed. In Paris, a sign of protesters’ determination was on display as tens of thousands marched for hours in the pouring rain.

Most of the time when there is a protest in France people go out in the streets, express themselves and then go home. I remember receiving a soaking wet flyer at the end of the protest on March 31 asking me to come to the Place de la Republique for #NuitDebout — “night on our feet” — and thought that these people had little chance of starting a French version of Occupy in such horrible weather. But for days now thousands of people have occupied the main square in Paris, held debates and general assemblies, and organized working groups, movie screenings and music concerts attended by thousands.

The occupations are not yet as big those of the indignados in Spain in 2011, but there are stronger links to the trade unions and different types of actions happening all over the country. No two movements will be the same. Yet there is a similar magic in the air and a feeling like anything is possible — from midnight marches to endless meetings and an impromptu brass band concert.

One of the movement’s main slogans — rêve général is a highly symbolic play on words that changes grève général, or “general strike”, into “general dream”. The movement has also invented a new calendar, with each new day being another day in March, leading to hashtags like #mars33, #mars34 and #mars35.

The #NuitDebout occupations are structured in a very similar way to those of the 15-M movement in Spain, with participatory decision-making structures and the belief that people should have a much greater say in democratic processes. It is organized chaos, with free food, professional sound systems, a website, live streaming and a medical tent, but with no one really in charge.

From Occupy Wall Street to Gezi Park, #NuitDebout is part of an ongoing wave of mobilizations that seeks to challenge the rule of the 1 percent by taking back public space and creating a glimpse of a better world. The leak of the recent Panama Papers validates these movements’ critique by clearly showing how the political and financial elite enrich themselves and the expense of the common good, without paying their fair share of taxes.

The beauty of the square occupation model is that it enables people to engage politically and express themselves in myriad ways. This was on display at the Place de la République in Paris last night, when a group of friends built a wooden house in just under an hour, while Congolese migrants sang revolutionary songs about French colonialism and a late-night debate took place on economic and labor policy.

As I write, high school students are in the process of blockading schools across the country and planning yet another general strike. It is hard to predict what the future will hold, but for now this new and powerful movement continues to grow across France with new occupations starting up everyday.