The protests continue in a similar vein. One in the spring on March 10th, and one in the fall on October 4th; one before the fine weather, and one at the start of the school year. With a few exceptions, the numbers are the same. A million people in the streets across France. Approximately 5000 in Nice, according to Nice-Premiere. The numbers were known in advance. The proceedings and routes of the parades as well. For security concerns obviously, but it falls into a routine that diminishes the effects of the protests. Everything is predictable.
“I am listening to the message that the French people are sending us. The entire government is listening to the message that the French people are sending us,” declared Dominique de Villepin in response to the day of action. It remains to be seen which message to take away from this October 4th.
“United for employment, purchasing power, the rights of public and private sector workers” could be read on the banner at the head of the processions. Is this the message that the Prime Minister retained? It would be very naive to believe that he was unaware of it.
The government knows the union priority: the maintenance of public service. The message that Dominique de Villepin will retain is the French people’s ability to mobilize. 150 protests for a million demonstrators. These figures are not negligible, just like the percentage of French people who approved of this movement (72%).
We ask the demonstrators what lies behind the union slogans and the claim phrases for them. For André, a retiree, it’s the “fight against precarity.” He defines precarity with a concrete example: “It’s having my daughter unemployed, my son-in-law on a fixed-term contract, with two children aged 8 and 11, and having to deprive my grandchildren of extracurricular activities to be able to feed them. That’s why I am protesting today.”
For Magali, a student, “it’s being forced to have a part-time job, perhaps at the expense of my psychology studies. Without this job, I could probably not eat enough, I could not afford the luxury of going out for a drink with my friends. In summary, as the trade unionists say, I am fighting against precarity and for an increase in my purchasing power.”
Precarity and purchasing power. Two phrases to remember from this October 4th, as for last March 10th.
In Nice, around 1 p.m., near Place Masséna, and just in front of the Bank of France, a song by the group Téléphone burst forth from a sound system in the parade: “Argent Trop Cher” (Money Too Expensive). And perhaps ultimately, that was the Message…
Vincent Trinquat
