Social protest did not weaken in the streets of Nice this Saturday. For the fourth consecutive weekend, several thousand people answered the call of the unions. A mobilization in which young people occupied an important place, between social demands, concerns about violence and slogans directed against the government.
Masséna Square once again served as the starting point for the Nice mobilization. Two days after the previous demonstration, the first participants gathered around the azure orchestra of the New World from the beginning of the afternoon. As the minutes passed, the gathering grew. The procession finally set off around 3 p.m., with a strong presence of high school and university students.
Upon arrival, the figures diverged between the organizers and the authorities. The Alpes-Maritimes prefecture counted 2,300 participants, while the unions announced 5,000. All marched behind demands related to purchasing power and the youth movement.
The atmosphere alternated between festive moments and political positions. Songs accompanied the march, punctuated in particular by slogans such as « Macron resign. » In the crowd, some young people also expressed their fears about the risk of injuries during gatherings. « My mother is afraid I’ll lose an eye », testified one of the participants.
Olivier Salerno, representative of La France insoumise (LFI), was also present. For him, the mobilization must maintain a collective dimension without losing sight of its demands. « We have every interest in the demonstrations going well (…) joy, celebration and music are also important. A demonstration must be well conducted.(…) There must be communion with a political meaning. And we must remain mobilized (…) I no longer believe in Father Christmas, Emmanuel Macron remains deaf and very contemptuous … »
Practically speaking, the route had been maintained identical to that of October 31. From Masséna Square, the protesters reached Garibaldi Square via Jean-Jaurès Boulevard, before heading toward the port via Cassini Street. The return was made via Papacino and États-Unis Quays, then Max-Gallo Avenue. Jean-Médecin Avenue, the city’s main shopping district, once again remained outside the authorized route.
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The dispersal of the gathering, which took place around 5 p.m. at Masséna Square, did not immediately mark the end of unrest in the city center. Law enforcement remained present as several groups circulated through neighboring streets. Back-and-forth movements were observed, with some individuals seemingly seeking to provoke confrontations with police.
The context was also marked by damage and looting on October 17. On Jean-Médecin Avenue, many shop fronts were still covered with protective panels installed after these events.
The protest is now set to continue on Tuesday, November 10. The SNESS-FSU union of the National Education announced a new meeting on Tuesday, October 10 at 10 a.m. at Garibaldi Square. The procession is then to head towards the SNCF train station.
At the national level, the Ministry of the Interior counted 146,000 protesters on this day of November 7, including 46,000 in Paris. The youth inter-union federation put forward a significantly higher estimate, with 250,000 participants in the country, including 75,000 in the capital.
These figures mark a decline compared to the mobilization of Thursday, November 5. The authorities had then counted 575,000 protesters in France, compared to 1.6 million according to the unions.
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