The 1990s in France were characterised by a resurgence of political engagement in the form of associative activity. New voices made themselves heard in the public domain, those of the sans-papiers, the homeless, victims of Aids or the unemployed. This article focuses on two protest movements which received widespread media coverage during this period, that of the homeless grouped together in the association DAL (Droit au logement) and the struggle against the construction of the Somport tunnel in the Pyrenees. The aim of the article is to consider the difficulties and constraints that undermine efforts towards collective action and in particular the tension which exists between the general and particular interests of the groups campaigning.