Method for upstream initiation, in a label switching communication network, of protection of a connected-mode multipoint-to-multipoint primary label switching path, during a failure affecting a given node of said path, with a connected-mode multipoint-to-multipoint standby label switching path, said network comprising routing nodes organized into the primary path, the primary path being suitable for having a plurality of egress nodes communicate with one another and comprising links connecting the routing nodes in pairs from an ingress node to an egress node, the ingress node having the list of egress nodes and the explicit routes followed by said links, a first node sending a bidirectional-connection open request to a second node is called the upstream node, said second node being called the downstream node, a bidirectional-connection open request message comprising the list of the explicit routes of the label switching path to the various egress nodes, a node having made a request to the given node for a bidirectional connection to be opened being called the upstream protective node of the given node, a node to which the given node has made a request to open a bidirectional connection being called the downstream protective node of the given node, the standby path having been initially established between an upstream protective node of the given node and downstream protective nodes (105, 106) of the given node, the upstream protective node of the given node having made a request for a bidirectional connection to be opened with the downstream protective nodes of the given node, said upstream protective node playing the role of ingress node in the establishment of this standby path, said method comprising the following steps implemented by the upstream protective node of the given node, the standby path being suitable for having communicate with one another a set of protective nodes consisting of the upstream node and downstream nodes (105, 106) of the given node: - a step of assigning a standby label to be associated, by the protective nodes of the set, with packets intended to be routed via one of the links of the primary path connecting the given node to one of the protective nodes of the set and to be routed by the standby path during the failure; - a step of sending a protection request to one of the downstream protective nodes of the given node, said protection request indicating the primary path, the standby path and the assigned standby label, said sending step being reiterated for the set of downstream protective nodes of the given node, - a step of configuring a contextual label switching table intended to be used during the failure, said table associating with the standby label, for each primary-path link emanating from the protective node, except for the link affected by the failure, an exit toward the primary path. - a step of assigning a standby label to be associated, by the protective nodes of the set, with packets intended to be routed via one of the links of the primary path connecting the given node to one of the protective nodes of the set and to be routed by the standby path during the failure; - a step of sending a protection request to one of the downstream protective nodes of the given node, said protection request indicating the primary path, the standby path and the assigned standby label, - a step of configuring a contextual label switching table intended to be used during the failure, said table associating with the standby label, for each primary-path link emanating from the protective node, except for the link affected by the failure, an exit toward the primary path.