Young and old alike, retirees, public servants, or high school students, the French are worried about their future. In Nice this morning, the streets roared with their cries, their songs, and the dull noise of firecrackers.
It was a small group of high school students who led the march. They had come out to defend their vocational baccalaureate and some of their teachers whose jobs are at risk. Yet, in solidarity, they also sang for their future pensions, for public servants, private sector employees, retirees, and a few undocumented workers who had joined the movement.
Jobs and pensions were the words omnipresent on the red flags of the unions and the banners of the demonstrators. Laurence Parisot, the president of MEDEF, added fuel to the fire the day before by proposing to raise the retirement age from 60 to 63. The pension reform is causing distress to the people of Nice, as it is to many French people. Nearly 4,000 marched from Place Masséna to Boulevard Delfino in Nice, and several hundred thousand people throughout the country (according to the unions).
More worried than angry, most demonstrators cling to what they have, protecting what can still be protected, well before demanding new or different solutions. This is the case with Marielle, 68, a retired CGT union member, who is very concerned about her grandchildren and encourages the young protesters.
Sound of Marielle, demonstration of May 22, 2008.
