Worker & Community Struggles and Protests Madrid Police "Dumbfounded" After Amazon Called The Cops On Striking Workers 22:31 Nov 27 0 comments George Soros’ Open Society Foundation unmasked in a major leak 22:31 Aug 24 1 comments Shell in court over major Corrib gas refinery flaring events. 23:32 Jul 28 0 comments Eddie Hobbs: Largest act of larceny against Irish people 23:22 Jun 02 0 comments CHASE Fundraising Events Calendar for June 23:10 Jun 01 0 comments more >>Blog Feeds
Public InquiryInterested in maladministration. Estd. 2005RTEs Sarah McInerney ? Fianna Fail supporter? Anthony Joe Duffy is dishonest and untrustworthy Anthony Robert Watt complaint: Time for decision by SIPO Anthony RTE in breach of its own editorial principles Anthony Waiting for SIPO Anthony
Human Rights in IrelandIndymedia Ireland is a volunteer-run non-commercial open publishing website for local and international news, opinion & analysis, press releases and events. Its main objective is to enable the public to participate in reporting and analysis of the news and other important events and aspects of our daily lives and thereby give a voice to people.Julian Assange is finally free ! Tue Jun 25, 2024 21:11 | indy Stand With Palestine: Workplace Day of Action on Naksa Day Thu May 30, 2024 21:55 | indy It is Chemtrails Month and Time to Visit this Topic Thu May 30, 2024 00:01 | indy Hamburg 14.05. "Rote" Flora Reoccupied By Internationalists Wed May 15, 2024 15:49 | Internationalist left Eddie Hobbs Breaks the Silence Exposing the Hidden Agenda Behind the WHO Treaty Sat May 11, 2024 22:41 | indy
Lockdown Skeptics
Will Trump Ever Admit Lockdown Was a Mistake? Mon Jul 22, 2024 19:35 | Jeffrey A. Tucker
Joe Biden Out in Apparent Palace Coup Mon Jul 22, 2024 17:30 | Eugyppius
Who Will Guard Us Against the Guardian?s ?Fact Checks?? Mon Jul 22, 2024 15:34 | David Craig
Biden Delayed Stepping Down as He ?Doubts Kamala? as Senior Democrats Fail to Back Her Mon Jul 22, 2024 13:19 | Will Jones
The Office of Budget Intractability Mon Jul 22, 2024 11:00 | Andrew Colllingwood
Voltaire NetworkVoltaire, international editionNetanyahu soon to appear before the US Congress? It will be decisive for the suc... Thu Jul 04, 2024 04:44 | en Voltaire, International Newsletter N°93 Fri Jun 28, 2024 14:49 | en Will Israel succeed in attacking Lebanon and pushing the United States to nuke I... Fri Jun 28, 2024 14:40 | en Will Netanyahu launch tactical nuclear bombs (sic) against Hezbollah, with US su... Thu Jun 27, 2024 12:09 | en Will Israel provoke a cataclysm?, by Thierry Meyssan Tue Jun 25, 2024 06:59 | en |
France In Revolt – Workers And Students Unite
international |
worker & community struggles and protests |
news report
Sunday April 22, 2018 20:48 by pbp - People Before Profit
While the Irish media focus only Macron bombing Syria and making speeches in praise of the EU French workers and students are in full scale revolt against the French President’s neo-liberal policies. French socialist,Catherine Vigier from Rouen, reports: “The temperature here has suddenly gone through the roof – things we all thought would go through without a murmur of protest have suddenly taken centre stage and Macron is facing a shipwreck scenario – with rail workers, Air France, hospital workers and University students and lecturers all fighting back.” And left Presidential candidate, Jean Luc Mélenchon said last week: “The president of the rich has decided to confront us. We will fight back. We will see who will have the final word. If we have the wisdom to unite across the country … the final word will be ours.” Inevitably, given it’s the fiftieth anniversary, parallels are being drawn with May 1968 when mass student revolt sparked an indefinite general strike of ten million workers. Says Mélenchon, “To those who suggest with a wry smile that I dream of May ’68, I say, yes it’s a fine dream. I prefer my lovely dream to the nightmares that are in the process of happening.” But some of the parallels are very real. Vigier notes: “It’s a wonderful irony that a conference on May 68 at Nanterre had to be cancelled because of the student occupation. Nanterre has been shut down by the authorities after riot police were called in to evacuate the occupation last night.” Nanterre, on the outskirts of Paris, was the University where the student rebellion of May 68 began. And last week police attacked and evicted occupying students at the Sorbonne in the Paris Latin Quarter, just as they did 50 years ago. Eight trade union groups have called a day of public sector strikes and demonstrations on 22 May. Strikes are planned by rail, air and maritime transport workers, and in every level of education from nurseries to universities. Postal workers, firefighters, health workers, electricity and gas workers, refuse workers and many more will also strike. Meanwhile the battle is ¬sharpening among students. Police have cleared out occupying students in Nantes, Bordeaux, Paris, Lille, Caen, Dijon, Grenoble, and Strasbourg. There were dozens of arrests. Macron had prepared the assaults by saying that protesting students were “professional agitators” and ought to be revising. At present students who pass their school-leaving exam can enrol in any university course. Macron wants universities to have access to school records to select those with the best “motivation” – shades of Leo Varadkar wanting to represent ‘people who get up early in the morning’. And Varadkar should take note. What France shows is that just when everything seems to be going swimmingly, when the spin appears to be working and the outlook from Dublin 4 seems set fair, seething resentment from below can suddenly explode in struggle. |