WHAT’S THE STORY?
ONGOING protests against changes to the French labour laws have again turned violent with 17 people arrested and seven police officers injured, according to the authorities.
Riot police clashed with French protestors in Nantes while violence broke out in Paris after security personnel hemmed in hundreds of demonstrators outside the National Assembly. Rubber bullets were fired to dispel the Paris marchers and at least one demonstrator was injured by police in Toulouse where tear gas was used to disperse a rally. There were also skirmishes in Rennes.
More protests are planned for today (thrs) after the government agreed on Tuesday to push through the controversial reforms without a vote in the lower house of parliament.
The government claims the changes are designed to help bring down France’s high unemployment rate but the protestors believe they will just make it cheaper and easier for employers to get rid of workers.
Today’s protests are being organised by youth organisations and unions because the government “is refusing the democratic debate on the law”.
The changes have still to go through the French senate.
WILL THE PROTESTS EXTEND BEYOND FRANCE?
The latest protests are a blow to unpopular socialist President François Hollande who had hoped that concessions he has made would defuse the widespread anger over the reforms.
However while less were involved this week than at the end of March when nearly half a million people took to the streets, the demonstrators have made plain they are not going to go away.
In the centre of Paris, the Nuit Debout protests are continuing every night and indeed new plans have been announced to spread the movement beyond France and across the world. Nuit Debout’s accounts on Twitter and Facebook have called for a “global day of action” on May 15 when they are urging people around the world to protest against austerity by taking to the streets.
The call came after a meeting with activists from other European countries on Saturday at the Place de la République. They agreed to “build a common struggle” based on the youth led Nuit Debout, loosely translated as “rise up at night”, which has attracted thousands of people and been compared with the Occupy protests in the US.
HOW DID THE MOVEMENT START?
The movement began at the end of March when around 400,000 people demonstrated in cities across France over the proposed changes to the labour laws.
Since then it has widened into a more general protest against the government, with demonstrators protesting against a range of issues.
The occupation of the Place de la République has come as something of a surprise to politicians, partly because it is several years since Occupy gave rise to left wing movements such as Spain’s Indignados.
The reason for the delay in France is the deeply unpopular government of Hollande. While the Indignados and Podemos in Spain mobilised against a right-wing government, the French left wing had faith in their new socialist president.
However his failure to curb unemployment, the introduction of new surveillance laws and the security crackdown since the Paris bomb attacks have left those voters feeling betrayed and disgusted – so much so that only one in five thinks Hollande should stand again next year.
“The labour law was the final straw,” said one 35-year-old protestor. “But it’s much bigger than that. This government, which is supposed to be socialist, has come up with a raft of things I don’t agree with, while failing to deal with the real problems like unemployment, climate change and a society heading for disaster.”
WHAT HAPPENS AT NIGHT?
Students, artists, parents with babies, workers and pensioners make up the crowd that congregates every night at the Place de la République.
“On 31 March, at the time of the labour law protests, that’s what happened,” said a 60-year-old former delivery driver.
“There was torrential rain, but still everyone came back here to the square. Then at 9pm, the rain stopped and we stayed.
“We came back the next day and as we keep coming back every night, it has scared the government because it’s impossible to define.”
He added: “There’s something here that I’ve never seen before in France – all these people converge here each night of their own accord to talk and debate ideas – from housing to the universal wages, refugees, any topic they like.
“No one has told them to, no unions are pushing them on – they’re coming of their own accord.”
IS THERE REALLY A POETRY COMMITTEE?
The “general assembly” starts at 6pm and the people discuss ideas, with whiteboards listing that evening’s activities and discussions.
There is media training for demonstrators as well as talks on economics while committees have been set up to work out how to make the movement more effective.
“No hatred, no arms, no violence” is the slogan and even a poetry group has been established to chart the progress of the movement and make up imaginative slogans.
“Every movement needs its artistic and literary element,” said one poet.
Added another poet: “This must be a perfect mini-society.”
The movement has sparked an online radio station and there are live broadcasts on Periscope, the video streaming service.
There is no doubt Nuit Debout has rattled the government.
But only time will tell whether Hollande will be worried enough to listen to what the people are telling him.
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