The CGT, UNSA, FSU, Solidaires, FO, and CFDT had issued a joint call to strike this Thursday, May 15. In Paris, 50,000 civil servants, students, and high school students responded. In Nice, between Place Massรฉna and Place Marshall, between 4,000 and 9,000 demonstrators marched. The front of the procession was led by very noisy high school students and ended with much calmer teachers.
“See you on the 22nd!” At around 12:30 PM, the demonstration ended. One by one, union leaders took the microphone, harangued the crowd, and given the success of the May 14 parade, invited the demonstrators to come back and hit the streets again on May 22.
In the middle of the procession, union and non-union speeches spoke of work and hiring: “Positions and even half positions are being eliminated, classes are filling up, and the quality of education is likely to suffer. I am an English teacher. This is a subject our children will need for their lives. I am here in the street to emphasize the importance of maintaining language teaching positions for the future of our children,” explained a teacher from Antibes. She marched with a mask, not to hide but so that the focus would not be on her personally. Bruno Della Sudda is less anonymous. A former candidate for the municipal elections in Nice, spokesperson for the Alternatives, and a regular at demonstrations, he shook many hands in solidarity with his struggles. He distributed leaflets to announce a debate on May ’68 on June 6 and to inform that NICEA (the anti-capitalist municipal list) had formed a political association. The high school students were there to show that their movement continues despite the holidays, the speeches of their Minister Xavier Darcos trying to diminish the impact of their protest, and the looming baccalaureate exams.
Just like all demonstrations, every participant had a good reason to be there. They denounced the policy of dismantling the public service. That was their common point. As was the case for tens of thousands of other demonstrators across France.
This video is from the website Web TV Nice [Web TV Nice](https://www.webtvnice.com)
