General Strike in France

[which doctor]

It seems like toon it won't be just the students who are striking. A general strike is being organized next week by one of France's largest unions.

I couldn't find any other article besides this one.
http://libcom.org/blog/general-strike-in-f...week/03/18/2006 (http://libcom.org/blog/general-strike-in-france-next-week/03/18/2006)

Anyone else hear of this?

[emokid08]

I did, in off all places The Drudge Report.

It's about time too!
<_<

[piet11111]

i consider this as one of the biggest rebellions against capitalism since the fall of the USSR atleast the biggest in western europe.
i am hoping that this will spread class awereness in france and surrounding country&#39;s.

[bolshevik butcher]

This is the probably the biggest success the left has had in Europe in a long time. THe mass moblisation of the entire french working class&#33; I hope it all goes well for them, similar struggles are on the brink all over Europe.

[which doctor]

This whole thing in France will most likely end within a few weeks though. I still consider t a great success. It is progress for the left.

[bolshevik butcher]

This episode might end but Europes aproaching crisis. Militancy and union actions are on the uprise in the face of an employers offensive and the donw turn in the world economy is just fueling events.

[Lamanov]

by LibCom News (http://libcom.org/news/)

France - new protests

Thursday, March 16 2006 @ 01:03 PM GMT
Contributed by: libcom

A fresh wave of protests has hit france as students, school pupils and workers continue the occupations, blockades and rioting against the first employment contract (CPE).

Scores of high schools and around 70% of universities are occupied today.

In many areas teachers have been joining their pupils in the protests, with several thousands demonstrating in Limoges, Boulougne, Le Havre and many other towns and cities across france.

The Monteil school in Rodez, the largest school in Aveyron with 1,600 pupils, was occupied and shut down with barricades. Fifteen schools in Seine-Saint-Denis, the scene of last years riots by suburban youths, are occupied. Many young people from the banlieus are preparing to join in the demonstration in Paris later today. Around 1,000 high school pupils have blocked a motorway in Nice whilst 200 pupils did the same in Vitry-on-Seine.

This is a strong sign that the struggle is circulating and extending outside the universities to France&#39;s disaffected working class youth - the focus of mass civil unrest in November last year. The increasing numbers of lecturers and teachers on strike and supporting the protests, and the railway and motorway blockades, along with support from France&#39;s major unions, all point to a struggle which is encompassing an ever wider section of France&#39;s society.


* * *


by Euro News (http://www.euronews.net/create_html.php?article=337685&lng=1)

Protests in France against employment law

The "CPE", or &#39;first job contract&#39;, has prompted controversy since it was first announced by the French Prime Minister in January. According to the French unions, more than 150 demonstrations are planned to take place across the country today protesting against the legislation. It is a big test for Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin. He will argue for the new law to be adopted by the lower house of the French parliament today, as demonstrators gather outside.

Under the CPE, applicable only for those under 26 or in companies with more than 20 people on the payroll, employees can be made redundant at any time in the first two years of their contract. Critics say that is akin to the state condemning a whole generation of young people to live in uncertainty. Opinion polls carried out for "L&#39;Humanite" and "Les Echos" newspapers today claim the majority of French citizens believe the new law is a bad idea. A clear majority in both polls think today&#39;s demonstrations are justified.


* * *


by BBC (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/europe/4819052.stm) (slightly abriged)

Job protests grip French cities

Hundreds of thousands of people have marched through French towns and cities in protest at a new law making it easier to hire and fire young workers.
Unions said more than a million people were on the streets, from Marseille in the south to Lille in the north. The government said 500,000 took part. Ministers say the law will reduce high youth unemployment, but opponents fear it will entrench job insecurity. Protests earlier in the week ended in unrest, with hundreds arrested.

"We deserve better - aren&#39;t we the future of France?"
Aurelie Silan
Student

Paris saw the biggest of Saturday&#39;s marches. Organisers said more than 300,000 people took part. The interior ministry put the figure at 80,000, reported French news agency AFP. Riot police were on standby but there were no reports of fresh unrest as protesters wound their way through the capital.

"We are not disposable - we deserve better," student Aurelie Silan, said.
"Aren&#39;t we the future of France?"

Civil servant Nicole Beauregard, who marched with her teenaged daughter, said: "Young people are less well-armed than we are to defend themselves.

"Getting into the workforce is aleady hard enough for them, and now they are putting up another obstacle."

[...]

[bolshevik butcher]

Theres already a thread on this, wouldnt it ahve beenn better to post it there?

[Lamanov]

Oh, so sorry, I guess I didn&#39;t see it.


* * *

LibCom blog (http://libcom.org/blog/) on events in France.

Do we have anyone from RevLeft there?

[piet11111]

Originally posted by Clenched [email protected] 18 2006, 06:25 PM
This episode might end but Europes aproaching crisis. Militancy and union actions are on the uprise in the face of an employers offensive and the donw turn in the world economy is just fueling events.
exactly things never looked as good for communism as its going right now.

[Cult of Reason]

This is one of the few things in a long while that has filled me with optimism (aside from my viewing today of V for Vendetta).

How much explicitly anti-capitalist demonstration has there been, as opposed to merely anti-CPE stuff?

Also, does large-scale union action tend to have any effect of increasing or decreasing the radicalism of workers?

[Djehuti]

One million on french streets&#33; Solidarity&#33;

[piet11111]

Originally posted by [email protected] 18 2006, 09:44 PM
One million on french streets&#33; Solidarity&#33;
indeed im sad i cant go and look for myself.

its only a small glimpse of what we can expect when things get worse.

[YSR]

Again, I echo: Do we have anyone here who&#39;s in France?

I just emailed my French friend who lives in Paris and is a nominal leftist, so if she has any insight, I&#39;ll share it.

[foreverfaded]

wasnt there around 80 other riots sprung up around Europe as well?

[Amusing Scrotum]

Originally posted by DJ&#045;[email protected] 18 2006, 07:14 PM
Do we have anyone from RevLeft there?

I recently signed up to Libcom -- I use the same name over there -- however there are two other members from here that I know of over there, STI and Additives Free and they both use the same name as well.

Hope that helps. :)

Edit: you were talking about France not Libcom weren&#39;t you? ....I need to go to sleep&#33; :(

:lol: :lol: :lol:

[which doctor]

Originally posted by Young Stupid [email protected] 18 2006, 04:55 PM
Again, I echo: Do we have anyone here who&#39;s in France?

I just emailed my French friend who lives in Paris and is a nominal leftist, so if she has any insight, I&#39;ll share it.
For some reason this forum has a very small amount of people who live in France. I don&#39;t think any of the active members are from France either. Try to check some blogs of people in France about it.

[bolshevik butcher]

Probably coz its a mainly english speaking forum. I agree its unfortunate.

[bolshevik butcher]

Originally posted by [email protected] 18 2006, 08:57 PM
This is one of the few things in a long while that has filled me with optimism (aside from my viewing today of V for Vendetta).

How much explicitly anti-capitalist demonstration has there been, as opposed to merely anti-CPE stuff?

Also, does large-scale union action tend to have any effect of increasing or decreasing the radicalism of workers?
How could it do other than increase? Well unless its a thuroughly reactioanry union, but even in that situation workers could still see the wisdom in banding together and may oppose the union leadership.

[ComradeOm]

Originally posted by [email protected] 18 2006, 08:57 PM
How much explicitly anti-capitalist demonstration has there been, as opposed to merely anti-CPE stuff?
As far as I can see, from news sources and the net, very little. Which is why I&#39;m hesitant to start talking about revolution or the like. I&#39;m fairly sure that if the law was scraped or the PM resigned tomorrow then the situation would subside. Still, its certainly a step in the right direction.

[which doctor]

Here is an article from Forbes.

Students clashed with police and activists rampaged through a McDonald&#39;s restaurant in the capital Saturday as some 500,000 people joined demonstrations across France to protest a government plan to loosen job protections.

The rallies and marches were largely peaceful, but police fired tear gas during confrontations with stone-throwing youths in Paris. Four officers and 12 protesters were injured, and police arrested at least 59 people, Paris officials said.

The protests against the law were the biggest show yet of escalating anger that is testing the strength of the conservative government before elections next year.

With commerce snarled in some cities, people asked whether Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin would stand firm on implementing the change that he says is needed to encourage hiring and cut unemployment. The usually outspoken leader was silent Saturday.

Protests reached every corner of France, with organizers citing 160 marches from the small provincial town of Rochefort in the southwest to the major city of Lyon in the southeast.

In Marseille, extreme leftist youths climbed the facade of City Hall, replacing a French flag with a banner reading "Anticapitalism." Police used tear gas to disperse them and made several arrests.

Police also fired tear gas at a protest in Clermont-Ferrand, a central city where 10,000 people marched and about 100 youths threw beer cans and other projectiles at a building.

The Paris protest march was the biggest, attracting some 80,000 people, according to police. Organizers put the number at 300,000.

Some demonstrators became violent as the march ended. Youths set a car on fire, smashing a shop window, trashing a bus stop and throwing stones, golf balls and other objects at police. Police responded with tear gas during skirmishes that lasted several hours.

About a dozen protesters stormed a McDonald&#39;s near Place de la Nation in eastern Paris, where the march ended. They broke windows and punched in the wall of a takeout window before fleeing ahead of police, leaving customers and employees stunned and shaken.

Widespread discontent with the government has crystalized around a new type of job contract that Villepin says will alleviate France&#39;s sky-high youth unemployment by getting companies to risk hiring young workers.

Critics say the contract abolishes labor protections crucial to the social fabric.

"Aren&#39;t we the future of France?" asked Aurelie Silan, a 20-year-old student who joined a river of protesters crawling through Paris.

Government spokesman Jean-Francois Cope insisted on the need for a "spirit of dialogue."

"The hand is extended, the door is open," he said on France-3 TV network. However, he limited dialogue to "improving" Villepin&#39;s plan - not withdrawing it as protesters demanded.

Waves of red union flags topped the densely packed crowd in Paris, which overflowed into side streets and stretched more than 3 1/2 miles under bright sunshine.

"Throw away the job contract, don&#39;t throw away the youth&#33;" chanted a group of students shaking tambourines. Many wore plastic bags to illustrate their feeling that the new law reduces young people to disposable workers.

The law would allow businesses to fire young workers in the first two years on a job without giving a reason, removing them from protections that restrict layoffs of regular employees.

The government says companies are reluctant to add employees now because it is hard to let them go if business conditions worsen. Villepin says making it easier for businesses to hire and fire young people would help France compete in a globalizing world economy.

Youth joblessness stands at 23 percent nationwide, and 50 percent among impoverished young people. The lack of work was blamed in part for the riots that shook France&#39;s depressed suburbs during the fall.

A group of protest organizers urged President Jacques Chirac on Saturday not to let the new law take effect as expected in April. They demanded an answer by Monday, when they will decide whether to continue protests that have paralyzed at least 16 universities and dominated political discourse for weeks.

But some protest leaders were in no mood to wait. "If by (Saturday night) the government doesn&#39;t withdraw this contract, we&#39;ll continue," student union leader Bruno Julliard said.

Chirac has pushed Villepin to act "as quickly as possible" to defuse the crisis, but has backed the contested measure.

Hours after Saturday&#39;s marches ended, clashes erupted at the Sorbonne in the heart of Paris&#39; Left Bank that has seen near nightly confrontations since riot police a week ago dislodged occupying students from the now blockaded university.

Hundreds of youths, some masked, threw bottles and tore down a section of a barrier erected to keep protesters at bay. Police sprayed tear gas and turned a water cannon at the young people.

On Friday night, a group of university presidents met with Villepin and called on him to withdraw the jobs plan for six months to allow for debate.

Failure to resolve the crisis could sorely compromise Villepin, who is believed to be Chirac&#39;s choice as his party&#39;s candidate in next year&#39;s presidential election.

Notice what happened in Marseille ^ ^

[Lamanov]

Originally posted by Armchair [email protected] 18 2006, 10:01 PM
Edit: you were talking about France not Libcom weren&#39;t you? ....I need to go to sleep&#33; :(

:lol: :lol: :lol:
Yhees, I ment France. =D

You may be an ultra-leftist but you still need your sleep. :lol: :lol:

[YSR]

My French friend reports that she hasn&#39;t had school in 3 weeks. To quote her (mind, her English isn&#39;t very good) "We go in the streets a lot and yeah we aren&#39;t happy&#33;"

That&#39;s my input, I guess.

[BattleOfTheCowshed]

No school for 3 weeks? And daily protests/revolts? That would make me pretty happy...

[Djehuti]

1.5 million demonstrators according to the unions. Some clashes with the police. Follow the development at: http://www.libcom.org/blog

Pictures:
http://riotporn.blogspot.com/

Cool movieclips at:
http://info.france2.fr/

[Karl Marx's Camel]

The Norwegian media says the youth and people organized in unions have taken control over the streets in France.

[*PRC*Kensei]

i just needed to read one sentence:

"unions taken control"


:o :D :D :D YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA A


THATS IT MATE :D

viva la revolution, viva la resistance, viva la france.

[YSR]

Calm down, comrade.

While this a strong blow for the working class in France, we must not jump to revolutionary conclusions just yet. I&#39;ll make a prediction (which I don&#39;t like doing) that in the face of all these protests, the government will get rid of this law. And after the French government gets rid of it, everyone will calm down.

Unless the government refuses to. That would, of course, be the dumbest thing they could do, because then revolutionary activity would REALLY pick up.

[Lamanov]

Well, CPE started this, but it doesn&#39;t mean that it will also be the central element which leads this unrest in one way or the other. There will still be flames and demonstrations mainly among the students and unemployed (every 4th adult French is unemployed) even after the withdrawal of the law.

On the other hand, I could predict that after this backing down by the government the unions will step down and pull a big chunk of the working class active in this unrest down with them. (Honestly, I hope that will not happen.)

Who knows what we might see in the next week.

[beltov]

Hi,

The International Communist Current have produced a short article for those not in Fance who want to know more about the protests against the CPE in France.

Notes from the students’ struggles in France
http://en.internationalism.org/node/1729

It&#39;s rather long to post up here, so the main points are:

1. The ICC is involved in a &#39;student movement&#39; for two reasons,
- The students who are protesting are not &#39;the elite&#39; but the children of the working class. They are pre-proletarians.
- The CPE is an economic attack on the WHOLE working class.

2. Unity of the generations. The gap between the generations that was present in May 1968 is not in existence today. All three generations are &#39;hand-in-hand&#39;.

3. There is an extraordinary degree of organisation. Delegations are mandated and revocable. Presidiums of the AGs are elected at the beginning of each session. Votes are taken by open show of hands.

4. The AGs have a healthy instinct. The general assemblies are &#39;sovereign&#39; and have fought off attempts by the Trotskyists to recuperate them.

5. The main barrier to the extension of the struggle to the wider working class is the stone-walling of the trade unions. The students have sought to overcome this by leafleting and discussing at the Metro stations. The unions are a major threat to the success of the movement.

6. Violence and the role of the media has become a central question. The bourgeois media are seeking to discredit the movement by focussing on the violence perpetrated by &#39;hotheads&#39; outside of the control of the AGs.


Originally posted by "ICC"
From this, we can draw one clear conclusion. The French media who have tried to discredit the movement in the eyes of the working class, have now understood that they risk discrediting only themselves in the eyes of the population which knows what is really happening, and especially in the eyes of workers who are demonstrating themselves, or whose children are demonstrating, by lying too openly.

We&#39;ve also produced a supplement to our French paper, which we&#39;re translating. It should be ready in a day or two. For those who can read French here&#39;s the link:
Hello to the new generations of the working class
http://fr.internationalism.org/RI366_supplement2.htm


Beltov.

[YSR]

This is fantastic stuff. Keep it up&#33;

[BattleOfTheCowshed]

This is pretty exciting shit. Of course the reason these protests began is because of the bill. However, it seems like in many ways that is just an "excuse" for the long-dormant left to "flex its muscle" to the neo-liberal politicians running France. I too don&#39;t think we will be hearing about a revolution in France in the coming weeks, but some revolutionary changes in the political paradigm and the power of workers in France? highly possible&#33;

[Lamanov]

Oh, wow - assemblées générales - I had no idea&#33; We actually have Students&#39; Councils there&#33;

This is very exciting stuff&#33; If the working class could organize itslef outside the trade unions in their own assemblées we could have a very exciting week ahead of us. ;)

[BattleOfTheCowshed]

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle....&archived=False (http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2006-03-19T233354Z_01_L17342207_RTRUKOC_0_US-FRANCE.xml&archived=False)

It appears as if Villepin is not backing down.

[which doctor]

A few quotes from this (http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,1734779,00.html) article.

Some selected quotes:


France could be shut down by a general strike this week if the prime minister, Dominique de Villepin, does not move to withdraw a controversial new employment law today, trade unionists threatened yesterday.


The main boulevard of Paris&#39;s Latin Quarter was thick with teargas late on Saturday night as riot police moved to stop hundreds of students from breaking down police barricades and re-taking control of the Sorbonne University building they had occupied days before.


High school pupils, including many from Paris&#39;s suburbs who have barricaded their schools with chairs and desks, are already planning further protests on Thursday.

The students reoccupied Sorbonne and students have now taken over high schools. It seems as if Villepin isn&#39;t going to talk much. It certainly seems like a strike will happen. My only fear is that the unions take the demos over. The unions will compromise and end the demos if the French government shows even the slightest progress

More good news from libcom.org/blog


More results from a poll set to be published in Mondays Liberation are now coming in.

Tomorrows poll reveals that some 71% of French now believe that in the anti-CPE turbulences exists “a major social crisis which can become extensive during weeks which come”.

A major social crisis, eh? Sounds good for the left.

[Commie Rat]

huzzah

[YSR]

What I can&#39;t believe is the absolute lack of coverage in the bourgeois press in the US. It was on page A14 of the St. Paul Pioneer Press today, behind the coverage of the relatively minimal protests to the third anniversary of the Iraq invasion on A4.

You&#39;d think an issue that should be so alarming to the powers-that-be would upset them enough to find some slander about it. 1.5 million French in the streets? That&#39;s a lot of people to be pissed off about this law.

[BattleOfTheCowshed]

Originally posted by Young Stupid [email protected] 20 2006, 04:06 AM
You&#39;d think an issue that should be so alarming to the powers-that-be would upset them enough to find some slander about it. 1.5 million French in the streets? That&#39;s a lot of people to be pissed off about this law.
When it comes to things like this, the bourgeoisie usually finds its best if no one knows. How many people in the US do you know that even know about the near-revolution in France in &#39;68?

[RebelDog]

It is to the eternal credit of the Labour movement in France that they have sought to protect their young workers in the face of this attack.
I am in total awe of what is going on in France. I need only look at our own gutless unions here in the UK for a comparison that shows how organised things are in France.

The old revolutionary spirit which rallies against establishment excess and opression is alive today. I wish British workers would rally round like this when we are attacked.

It must feel so good to be a young worker seeing a whole movement rally round to protect you. Fantastic stuff. This allows us to see the imense power of our class when we flex our muscles. Imagine what it will be like when we rise to destroy the class system, it will be an awesome site. This has given us all hope. Utterly breathtaking.

[*PRC*Kensei]

the france goverment just wont understand, they had like a little civil war in fall.. and now they make an ultra-liberal law..;

they asked for it.


now burn those cars :lol:

[Nothing Human Is Alien]

Originally posted by Young Stupid [email protected] 20 2006, 04:06 AM
What I can&#39;t believe is the absolute lack of coverage in the bourgeois press in the US. It was on page A14 of the St. Paul Pioneer Press today, behind the coverage of the relatively minimal protests to the third anniversary of the Iraq invasion on A4.

You&#39;d think an issue that should be so alarming to the powers-that-be would upset them enough to find some slander about it. 1.5 million French in the streets? That&#39;s a lot of people to be pissed off about this law.
I can believe, but you&#39;re right, it&#39;s total shit.

Look at the Yahoo news page for Europe:
http://news.yahoo.com/i/732;_ylt=Amq2AODUp...HNlYwN5bmNhdA-- (http://news.yahoo.com/i/732;_ylt=Amq2AODUplCGMo7ypYrtNmZvaA8F;_ylu=X3oDMTA 5aHJvMDdwBHNlYwN5bmNhdA--)

No a single mention of it, but they have things like "Terror Suspect in U.K. Wants to Leave"..

[kurt]

Indeed the lack of coverage in the bourgeois press is not suprising. In my local newspapers, the only article I could find was buried in the middle, and was simply a sidebar equating the protestors to "violent rioters".

The bourgeois press is probably trying to find an angle from which they can launch a smear campaign. They&#39;re walking a thin line, and simply not reporting these events is probably the best method they have to keep the "lid" on this tight.

[piet11111]

its certainly exiting to see the left flexing its muscle but this is probably nothing compared to what we can expect just before the revolution.

the outcome of this rebellion will probably be renewed confidence in our capability to run things ourselves.
and confidence in our collective power as the workingclass.

from the french government im expecting shock and eventually a more opressive legal system before trying to adjust the chains again.

[вор в законе]

De Villepin is adamant. He said that the protestors should come and discuss about it. The workers said that there shall not be any disussion until the bill is removed.

Unions to decide on general strike as Villepin stands firm (http://news.monstersandcritics.com/europe/article_1148521.php/Unions_to_decide_on_general_strike_as_Villepin_sta nds_firm)

De Villepin faces strike threat after weekend of riots (http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,1734779,00.html)

Unions pile pressure on Villepin with threat of a national strike action (http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/article352376.ece)

http://perso.wanadoo.fr/m.barrio/Constitution/de%20villepin-sarko.jpg

[beltov]

One of the most striking features of the movement is the way in which it has been reported in the media both in France and abroad, and especially by the TV which is of course the main source of information for most workers. Until very recently – essentially and with a very few exceptions until the demonstration Thursday (17th March) – the media in France has concentrated on one thing: the occupation of the Sorbonne and the violent confrontations between bands of young hotheads (who come from nobody knows where), and the CRS (riot police).

Until very recently, there has been not a sign on the TV of the mass meetings, the debates, or even the demonstrations: instead there have been a lot of interviews with students opposed to the movement, confrontations between students, and the attacks on the CRS. Outside France, the blackout of the students’ movement has been almost total – with the exception of a few pieces on the violence.

All this is in marked contrast to the huge blanket coverage of the riots in the French suburbs last autumn, which were so vastly blown out of proportion that we received declarations of support for the “revolution” taking place in France, from comrades in the ex-USSR&#33;

We know very well that the media – and above all the TV media – are to all intents and purposes controlled by the state, and even where they are not, their “self-control” is impressive: there’s even an old English rhyme that goes like this, and is valid for the media everywhere – “No-one can corrupt or twist, thank God, the British journalist. Given what the man will do unbribed, there is no reason to”.

So what the students need to ask is: what interest does the state have in displaying such images – almost to the exclusion of all else? The answer is obviously, that it contributes to the discrediting of the movement within the mass of the working class, who are certainly not ready today to undertake a violent confrontation with the state. Not only does the violence tend to discredit the movement with the rest of the class, but it also puts into question the sovereignty of the AG since it takes place completely outside the latter’s control.

In fact this last question – the question of control – is one of the most critical ones: the violence of the working class has nothing to do with the blind violence of the young hotheads at the Sorbonne or – it must be said – of many anarchist groups, above all because it is exercised and controlled collectively, by the class as a group. The student movement has used physical force (for example to barricade the university buildings and block entry to them): the difference between this and the confrontations at the Sorbonne is that the former actions are decided collectively and voted by the AG, and the “blockers” have a mandate for their action from their comrades. The latter, precisely because they are uncontrolled by the movement, are of course the perfect terrain for the action of the lumpen and the agent provocateur, and given the way in which this violence has been used by the media there is every reason to suppose that the provocateur has been present and stirring it up.

Faced with this situation, the students’ reaction has in general been exemplary. When it became clear that the government was setting up the Sorbonne in effect as a “trap” for the demonstrations, and as a means of permanent provocation, the reaction at the AG in Paris III Censier was essentially this: “The Sorbonne is a symbol, it’s true. Well, if they want it, let them keep their symbol – the CRS are there, so much the better, let them stay there. And let us invite our comrades of the Sorbonne to come to Censier for their AG”. The same invitation was extended by the AG at Jussieu.

In addition – and despite some belated manoeuvring by the Trotskyists who tried to overturn the vote – the Censier AG passed a motion “in support of the injured students, against any damage done to the building, and in sympathy for the injured CRS”. The important point about this motion is that it was absolutely not a support for the repression by the police, but recognised:
* That the children of the low-paid CRS are themselves concerned by the attacks of the government (as some students tried to explain to the riot police during non-violent confrontations.
* And that the students intended to distance themselves from the violent “actions” which do the movement no service.

It is important also to note the difference between the way in which the media have reported the 18th March demonstration in France and abroad:
* In France, the media have focused on the – trivial – violence at the end of the demonstrations, but less so than on previous occasions; they have given more space to the enormous size and calm of the demonstrations (and the imaginative nature of some of the slogans).
* Abroad (for example on Euronews, or on yahoo.com where an Associated Press report is titled “French Police Subdue Riots Over Jobs Law”, which is an enormous lie, pure and simple), we have seen virtually nothing but the images of violence and burning cars.

From this, we can draw one clear conclusion. The French media who have tried to discredit the movement in the eyes of the working class, have now understood that they risk discrediting only themselves in the eyes of the population which knows what is really happening, and especially in the eyes of workers who are demonstrating themselves, or whose children are demonstrating, by lying too openly.

Beltov.

[which doctor]

The strike is set for March 28th&#33;

[Barry Kade]

Yep, Tuesday 28th March&#33; By happy coincidence, thats exactly the same day when 1.5 million workers are going on a one day strike here in the UK to defend their pension rights. This will be the largest strike in Britain since the 1926 general strike&#33; Wont be as exciting as the French general strike, but hey - Tuesday 28th March 2006 - a great step forward for the class struggle.




:hammer: :hammer: :hammer:

[Comrade-Z]

One of the most striking features of the movement is the way in which it has been reported in the media both in France and abroad

I know. It is absolutely ridiculous. I scanned msnbc.com for any articles about the events in France, and I found this single extremely absurd piece on the events that makes Villepin look like some sort of Knight-in-shining-armor and the protesters as "neo-nationalists" who are clinging to the past&#33; Can you believe it&#33;? This is just ridiculous.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11787785/site/newsweek/

[red team]

The Revolution Will Not Be Televised&#33;

[BattleOfTheCowshed]

Originally posted by red [email protected] 20 2006, 11:23 PM
The Revolution Will Not Be Televised&#33;
Haha, word.

This is incredibly exciting&#33; A general strike in France by the workers + the students and the largest strike in Britain since 1926 happening ON THE SAME DAY? Amazing&#33; Even if this is not a revolution, this is a momentous occasion for the international working class&#33; Now the question for those of us in the US is: what can WE do to show our solidarity and to spread this working class-solidarity sentiment to the US? We could potentially try to spread the word on some kind of wildcat strike whereby we abstain from work and school. It may be hard to organize on such a late notice and it may be hard to get people&#39;s support if there isnt some DIRECT issue to attract people to, but it would be fucking awesome if we could spread this&#33;

[Djehuti]

Oneman in coma after riot police have stomped all over his body.

You can see the movie-clip here under "Manifestants dans le coma suite heurts de samedi": http://info.france2.fr/page-speciale/19265503-fr.php

http://libcom.org/blog/strike-called-as-de...coma/03/20/2006 (http://libcom.org/blog/strike-called-as-demonstrator-remains-in-coma/03/20/2006)




Btw, Eunice Barber, a former world champion athlet have also been arrested for "biting two cops".

[BattleOfTheCowshed]

Originally posted by [email protected] 21 2006, 05:26 AM

Btw, Eunice Barber, a former world champion athlet have also been arrested for "biting two cops".
rotflmao, ILLLLLL

[kurt]

Does anyone know what kind of hold the CGT and CGDT still have over the labour movement in France. I know that in 1968 their hold was rather firm, and thus most of the revolutionary fervor the proletariat had was stiffled by the utterly stinking, reformist corpse of the PCF. Can we except more of the same this time around, or is there a real chance that the French proletariat can break the bondages of its union chains?

[Janus]

Here&#39;s the latest information concerning the demonstrator who fell into a coma.

Source: BBC News

The SUD PTT union said Cyril Ferez, 39, was trampled underfoot during a police charge at Place de la Nation in Paris.

But a paramedic from the CRS riot police said Mr Ferez had told him on the way to hospital that he had been attacked by other demonstrators.

Mr Ferez had been "semi-conscious, with multiple facial bruising," he said.

Mr Ferez belongs to the SUD PTT union, which has accused the government of "trying to cover up a police blunder," the French news agency AFP reports.
SUD PTT said police had "refused to call for first aid as Cyril was lying on the ground".

Paris violence

On Saturday hundreds of thousands across France took part in marches and rallies against the law, which makes it easier to dismiss young workers.

Clashes erupted in Paris late on Saturday, with masked demonstrators hurling projectiles at police and setting cars ablaze. Police responded with baton charges and tear gas.

French unions and students have decided to step up their campaign against the new labour law by holding a day of strikes and protests on 28 March.

The government insists it will not withdraw the measure, which it says will help reduce youth unemployment.

The government says the plan will encourage employers to hire young people, but students fear it will erode job stability in a country where more than 20% of 18- to 25-year-olds are unemployed.

[Djehuti]

"Make no mistake: what started as an imitation of May &#39;68 looks like being a thousand times more revolutionary. In fact, the current crisis is an exact reversal. In &#39;68, everything was possible in a France where there was full employment, but nothing was permitted. Today, everything is permitted for those with money, a good job, but nothing is possible for the vast majority of our fellow citizens."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4829170.stm

[red team]

It is entirely justified for the workers to protest against their job contracts and working conditions, but what will they ever do when the police breaks out the machine guns against unarmed protesters? I&#39;m pessimistic that this will end like the Indonesian massacre.

[STI]

That very well may happen... which is why the French workers and students need to start arming themselves.

[wet blanket]

Originally posted by red [email protected] 22 2006, 06:18 AM
It is entirely justified for the workers to protest against their job contracts and working conditions, but what will they ever do when the police breaks out the machine guns against unarmed protesters? I&#39;m pessimistic that this will end like the Indonesian massacre.
Unlikely. Such repression would only trigger a complete overthrow of the French government. Chirac isn&#39;t that dumb.

[Severian]

Originally posted by [email protected] 21 2006, 11:27 PM
"Make no mistake: what started as an imitation of May &#39;68 looks like being a thousand times more revolutionary. In fact, the current crisis is an exact reversal. In &#39;68, everything was possible in a France where there was full employment, but nothing was permitted. Today, everything is permitted for those with money, a good job, but nothing is possible for the vast majority of our fellow citizens."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4829170.stm
I saw that too - it&#39;s from France-Soir, one of the major bourgeois papers.

It&#39;s an important point, I think - the 60s were a radicalization in a time of prosperity, with a largely middle-class basis. This is a time of economic belt-tightening, and class polarization.

[*PRC*Kensei]

Originally posted by wet blanket+Mar 22 2006, 07:56 AM--> (wet blanket @ Mar 22 2006, 07:56 AM)
red [email protected] 22 2006, 06:18 AM
It is entirely justified for the workers to protest against their job contracts and working conditions, but what will they ever do when the police breaks out the machine guns against unarmed protesters? I&#39;m pessimistic that this will end like the Indonesian massacre.
Unlikely. Such repression would only trigger a complete overthrow of the French government. Chirac isn&#39;t that dumb. [/b]
+ i think that a core of rioters could eassaly get weapons to in a city like paris... there must be guns...

or simple molotovs... and iron bars... more a crowd doesnt need.

[piet11111]

Originally posted by wet blanket+Mar 22 2006, 07:56 AM--> (wet blanket @ Mar 22 2006, 07:56 AM)
red [email protected] 22 2006, 06:18 AM
It is entirely justified for the workers to protest against their job contracts and working conditions, but what will they ever do when the police breaks out the machine guns against unarmed protesters? I&#39;m pessimistic that this will end like the Indonesian massacre.
Unlikely. Such repression would only trigger a complete overthrow of the French government. Chirac isn&#39;t that dumb. [/b]
that would probably be accurate if it was the politicians that where pulling the strings instead of big faceless corporations.

strawmen are easily replaced anyway but so far machinegunning would be needlessly violent and i dont think the capitalists are that intimidated yet.

[Djehuti]

French insurrectionists analyze the situation:
http://www.infoshop.org/inews/article.php?...637706#comments (http://www.infoshop.org/inews/article.php?story=20060320213637706#comments)

Another interesting text:
http://www.anti-politics.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1179


----


Also right wing extremists have tried to attack anti-CPE activists several times, often side by side with the police and other bourgeoisie lackeys. At the Arsenal University Mars 15th a thousand students had gathered in a non-confrontative strike and blockade.
The principle, Henry Roussillon, and a lot of fascists (from UNI, UTIL, GUD, RED, Jeunesses Identitaires, etc) wielding iron bars and tear gas. They attacked the students, smashed windows and destroyed university locals. The riot police did not intervene, but at Sorbonne the riot cops allied themselfs with the fascists and attacked together. At Toulose Mars 16th over a thousand students gathered to vote about if they should join with the rest of the students in France against the CPE, the university leadership did not like this however and together with right-wing extremists they tried to attack the school, but they where kicked out from the area by force.

[BattleOfTheCowshed]

Here&#39;s a very pathetic bourgeois business article on the revolt:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...6032101741.html (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/21/AR2006032101741.html)

It&#39;s pretty pathetic ("Oh, those French workers, dont they know theyre HURTING themselves?"). However, I include it because it includes a fascinating statistic, to quote:
"A telling poll released in January by the Program on International Policy Attitudes at the University of Maryland found that only 36 percent of French respondents felt that "the free enterprise system and free market economy" is the best system. That&#39;s the lowest response from any of the 22 countries polled and compares with 59 percent in Italy, 65 percent in Germany, 66 percent in Britain and 71 percent in the United States."

:o Thats right, the majority of French people no longer even consider free-market capitalism to be the optimal economic system&#33; Fucking awesome&#33; Now the question is: how do we transfer that revolutonary sentiment to the other industrialized nations which feature considerably higher confidence in capitalism?

Also, is anything planned in the US for that day? It seems like we should do something to show solidarity or something :)

[bolsheviki]

March 24, 2006
Labor Law Protests in Paris Erupt in Violence
By KATRIN BENNHOLD and CRAIG S. SMITH

PARIS, March 23 — Cars were burned and shops smashed today in the center of Paris as vandals erupted from the ranks of student demonstrators trying to force the government of Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin to withdraw a new youth employment law.

Paris&#39;s stately Esplanade des Invalides was engulfed in tear gas and smoke as riot police battled with protesters who threw rocks at the officers.
Only hours earlier, France&#39;s most powerful trade unions agreed to meet Friday with Mr. de Villepin to discuss the new labor law that would make it easier for employers to dismiss young workers.

But despite the agreement to talk, the possibility of progress appeared remote as union officials, who are coordinating with student leaders, said their primary demand remained unchanged: the law must be rescinded. Mr. de Villepin has said he will consider modifications, but insists he will not withdraw the legislation.

"The nature of what we&#39;re gonna say to Villepin tomorrow is not a scoop," said Jean-Claude Mailly, the head of the Force Ouvrière union, adding, "We are ready for a dialogue, but the condition is the pullback of the law."

While the vast majority of people protesting the law today in Paris were peaceful, small gangs of youths used the demonstrations to make trouble.

The protest began in a combative but festive mood, with thousands of students setting off from a large square in southern Paris, boosting colorful banners and chanting slogans against the new "first employment contract."

During the march two students climbed atop a phone booth, shouting "Withdraw the C.P.E&#33;" while a fire-eater and a unicyclist joined the procession to entertain the crowds. One large banner read: "Taking today the privileges of yesterday for the generation of tomorrow."

But the atmosphere changed quickly as sporadic incidents of vandalism occurred throughout the march and small gangs of youths were seen snatching mobile phones from people&#39;s hands and breaking shop windows.

The violence culminated in violent clashes between riot police and youths on the western side of the central Invalides Square, home to the golden dome under which Napoleon is buried. According to police officers on the ground, about 200 youths were involved in violence where bottles and rocks were hurled at the police and journalists. At least two cars were torched, three overturned and dozens of others damaged.
The facade of a shoe shop was also set alight and several windows in a nearby office building broken, while two police officers said an electronics store was looted for mobile phones.

Riot police used paintball guns against protesters as a way to better identify them and make arrests easier.

"The atmosphere was very different today," said Laura, 20, a Parisian student who had also participated in earlier demonstrations, after most protestors had dispersed. "It&#39;s very sad."

The violence appeared to be provoked mostly by roving gangs of youths, many of them believed to have joined the protests from the poor immigrant suburbs where rioting took place last November, police officers said today.

At 7 p.m. the smell of smoke still lingered in the air and several dozens of police vans, their blue lights flashing, still lined the streets crisscrossing the Invalides Square. Even when only about a hundred milling around, tension remained high. Some youths hurled insults at officers in helmets and body armor.

At one point a group of riot police pursued a youth across a grassy patch on the square before dragging him to a police van and driving off.

Maya, 18, who studies international trade in Lyon, had traveled to Paris by train in the morning to attend the march. "There was a lot of provocation on both sides today — police and demonstrators."

"We just want to be heard, we exist," she added, "that&#39;s why we are marching."
It was not immediately clear what impact the violence would have on the mood of the country, but some officials said it was bad publicity for the student movement.
The head of the French socialist party, François Hollande, said on France Info, the news radio, that he believed the government would not be "too unhappy there are incidents," because "it casts a shadow on the protest itself."

Protests continued today in other cities, with between 220,000 and 450,000 marchers estimated to have participated nationwide. In Marseilles, student leaders said 50,000 marched, while the police put the number at 10,000. Between 7,000 and 15,000 protested in Bordeaux, between 2,500 et 10,000 in Pau, and between 6,000 and 12,000 in Rennes.

French universities and high schools also continued their protests. The Education Ministry said 21 universities were on strike, with studies disrupted at 46 others. With unions still planning a national strike next Tuesday, Mr. deVillepin wrote to French trade unions early today. The education minister also invited students to a meeting Friday evening, a student leader told The Associated Press. Student unions were to meet employee unions on Friday morning.

The law, meant to spur hiring, would allow employers to dismiss workers under 26 without cause during their first two years on the job. It is currently under review by France&#39;s Constitutional Council and if approved would go into effect next month.

[http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/24/international/europe/23cnd-france.html?_r=1&hp&ex=1143176400&en=3147b8d4c83cf332&ei=5094&partner=homepage&oref=slogin]

[bolshevik butcher]

Good to see the militancy continuing. The day to watch out for is the 28th(Tuesday). This could all boil down to that day, and whether the working class taks any more action.

[The Grey Blur]

Viva La Revolution finally has relevance

[bunk]

Originally posted by Clenched [email protected] 24 2006, 05:36 PM
Good to see the militancy continuing. The day to watch out for is the 28th(Tuesday). This could all boil down to that day, and whether the working class taks any more action.
I haven&#39;t got that much knowledge on the situation.

Why is the 28th significant?

Thanks

[bolshevik butcher]

General strikes called on that day. Ironically the same day as in Britain.

[Janus]

Talks between the French government and union leaders have ended in a deadlock.

BBC News

Talks between the French prime minister and union leaders on the controversial labour law have ended in deadlock, with the government refusing to scrap it.
The unions&#39; demands that the law be withdrawn were rejected by PM Dominique de Villepin, with the support of President Jacques Chirac.

Earlier, Mr Chirac said he would not accept ultimatums in a democracy.

Opposition to the law has led to protests across France and unions have called for a strike on Tuesday.

"We haven&#39;t yet convinced the prime minister to withdraw the CPE (First Job Contract)," the head of the CGT union, Bernard Thibault, said after the meeting.

The law allows employers to end job contracts for under-26s at any time during a two-year trial period without having to offer an explanation or give prior warning.
The government says it will encourage employers to hire young people.

But students fear it will erode job stability in a country where more than 20% of 18 to 25-year-olds are unemployed - more than twice the national average.

The BBC&#39;s Caroline Wyatt in Paris says Mr de Villepin was becoming increasingly isolated in his desire to push through the contract.

But Mr Chirac, speaking at the EU leaders&#39; summit in Brussels, backed the prime minister&#39;s stance that he would talk about amending but not scrapping the law.

Turning point

The president said the French had carried out the Revolution to achieve and develop democratic institutions.
"When a law has been passed by parliament, in accordance with the spirit and rules of our institutions, it must be implemented," he said.

"Of course, this does not prevent the government from discussing this or that modality."

Before the talks, one government official had described them as a turning point. But after the failed discussions, union representatives said no more were planned.

Violent fringe

On Thursday, violence erupted in several cities across France as thousands protested against the law.
French police say they made around 420 arrests during the protests. Dozens of youths smashed windows, looted shops, set fire to cars and hurled stones at police.

Government officials said at least 220,000 people - many of them high school or university students - took part, although organisers put the figure at 450,000.

Sixty people were injured, 27 of them police.

In central Paris, clashes with police were brief and involved only a few hundred youths at most, some of whom appeared not to have been part of the march.

The majority of protesters were peaceful, many of them linking arms as police tackled the violent fringe.

The government proposed the controversial law as part of a series of measures designed to help youths in the French suburbs who took to the streets last year.

[BattleOfTheCowshed]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml...26/ixworld.html (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/03/26/wparis26.xml&sSheet=/news/2006/03/26/ixworld.html)

[Janus]

Leading French student group refuses to meet with the prime minister.

BBC News

Dominique de Villepin offered to meet students on Saturday to discuss the controversial law after the proposals sparked nationwide protests and riots.

On Friday, talks with trades unions ended in deadlock after the government said it would not agree to demands that the law be withdrawn.

The impasse brings a general strike planned for Tuesday a step closer.

According to the AFP news agency, the students will deliver a letter to Mr de Villepin instead of meeting him.

"The president of the republic and the prime minister are out of step with society, they are misleading the country into a crisis," national high school union leader Karl Stoeckel told AFP.

"We won&#39;t negotiate jeopardising the young," he added.

However AFP reported that two other student groups - one in favour and one against the law - had agreed to meet Mr de Villepin on Saturday.
Job stability


Mr de Villepin is refusing to back down

The law allows employers to end job contracts for under-26s at any time during a two-year trial period without having to offer an explanation or give prior warning.

The government says the law will encourage employers to hire young people, who in some inner cities make up 50% of the unemployed.

But students fear it will erode job stability.

President Jacques Chirac has backed his prime minister.
"When a law has been passed by parliament, in accordance with the spirit and rules of our institutions, it must be implemented," he said.

"Of course, this does not prevent the government from discussing this or that modality."

Violent protests

Unions and student groups have so far staged two weeks of protests against the CPE (First Job Contract).

On Thursday, violence erupted in several cities across France as thousands protested against the law.

Police said they made around 420 arrests during the protests. Dozens of youths smashed windows, looted shops, set fire to cars and hurled stones at police.

The government proposed the controversial law as part of a series of measures designed to help youths in the French suburbs who took to the streets last year.