Method for initiating a protection of a primary label-switching path in connected mode upon a fault affecting a given node of said path in a label-switching communication network, by a multipoint to multipoint backup label-switching path in connected mode, established between neighbour nodes (101, 102, 105, 107, 108) of said given node, the primary path having been established from nodes upstream of the given node to one or more downstream nodes, the method being implemented by a neighbour node belonging to said primary and backup paths and which is situated upstream of the given node in the primary path, termed the initiator protector node, and comprising the following steps: - a step of selecting from among the plurality of the neighbour nodes of the given node one or more nodes, termed protector nodes, situated downstream of the given node in the primary path, said protector nodes and the initiator protector node being identified in a unique manner; - a step of assigning a backup label, associated with the primary path, to be associated by the protector nodes with packets intended to be forwarded by one of the branches of the primary path linking the given node to one of the protector nodes and forwarded by the backup path upon the fault, - a step of dispatching to one of the selected protector nodes a protection request, said protection request indicating the primary path, the backup path, the identifier of said initiator protector node to be associated by the protector nodes in the guise of context label with said packets, and the backup label, said dispatching step being repeated for the whole set of selected protector nodes, - a step of storing, in a forwarding table, nominal outputs aimed at encapsulating the packets forwarded, in the normal regime, by one of the branches of the primary path linking the given node to one of the protector nodes and, backup outputs associating a label of a branch of the primary path with the context label and the backup label and with the identifier of the next node on the backup path, doing so for each branch of the backup path, - a step of detecting an event, - if the event is a fault affecting the given node, a step of activating the stored backup outputs, and of deactivating the stored nominal outputs, - if the event is a disappearance of a fault affecting the given node, a step of deactivating the stored backup outputs, and of activating the stored nominal outputs. - a step of selecting from among the plurality of the neighbour nodes of the given node one or more nodes, termed protector nodes, situated downstream of the given node in the primary path, said protector nodes and the initiator protector node being identified in a unique manner; - a step of assigning a backup label, associated with the primary path, to be associated by the protector nodes with packets intended to be forwarded by one of the branches of the primary path linking the given node to one of the protector nodes and forwarded by the backup path upon the fault, - a step of dispatching to one of the selected protector nodes a protection request, said protection request indicating the primary path, the backup path, the identifier of said initiator protector node to be associated by the protector nodes in the guise of context label with said packets, and the backup label, said dispatching step being repeated for the whole set of selected protector nodes, - a step of storing, in a forwarding table, nominal outputs aimed at encapsulating the packets forwarded, in the normal regime, by one of the branches of the primary path linking the given node to one of the protector nodes and, backup outputs associating a label of a branch of the primary path with the context label and the backup label and with the identifier of the next node on the backup path, doing so for each branch of the backup path, - a step of detecting an event, - if the event is a fault affecting the given node, a step of activating the stored backup outputs, and of deactivating the stored nominal outputs, - if the event is a disappearance of a fault affecting the given node, a step of deactivating the stored backup outputs, and of activating the stored nominal outputs.