Protests in France

[reggie the dog]

We protested against a government reform which will make up work until we are 62 instead of 60 as it is today. A bit more than a thousand people demonstrated in the town I live in out of a population of around 30 000. There were protests all over France so I will let you know how many people there were altogether tomorrow. There was even an elected politician from the main stream Socialist party at the rally. Lots of unionists, teachers, train engineers, people from the local supermarket and sporting goods stores, retired people. Hopefully someone in our government is listening.

[ShortnFiery]

1. Vive la France!

Those folks know how to protest injustice. :thumbsup:

[pampango]

2. "Tens of thousands of marchers gathered in several cities..."

French protest retirement age plan

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/europe/2010/05/2010527123221805109.html



French labour unions have staged a day of strikes and street rallies to protest against plans by Nicolas Sarkozy, the president, to raise the retirement age beyond 60 years.

Tens of thousands of marchers gathered in several cities but there were mixed reports about participation in strike action.

"What happens today will be fairly decisive for how things develop," said Bernard Thibault, leader of the CGT, the largest of the broad coalition of trade unions organising the national protest. "I'd like to see us exceed the mobilisation we achieved on March 23," he told Europe 1 radio, referring to France's last large-scale labour protest, when unions estimated turnout at 800,000 and the police at 350,000.

If the unions fail to mobilise a similar number this week, it is likely to be seen as a victory for the government, but labour and opposition leaders said they were confident of a big turnout.

[reggie the dog]

3. the news is saying today that there were a million people in

the streets, they are siding with the unions figures, the cops say there were half that many people. About a third of teachers were on strike too. so about one in 60 people was out protesting today, not the best turnout but we will have to see what the government does now.

[laughingliberal]

4. K & R nt

[reggie the dog]

5. our local right wing paper

says the protests were a success and that a lot of people protested for our little towns. It seems that most people dont want to do the reform but many think it is inevitable. At any rate the unions will tell us what their next step is on Monday.

[Hannah Bell]

6. kr

[laughingliberal]

7. Can't help but mention even with the proposed increase, they still get benefit 3 years before u

And the Cat Food Commission wants to raise our age even higher. And our life expectancy is less. Uniquely American!!! Wishing the French workers much success with this.

[NNN0LHI]

8. People pretty much have to die to retire here now if they are "lucky" enough to have a job

We don't have any demonstrations.

Don

[reggie the dog]

10. I know, I was born in the usa and lived there for 24 years

The day the iraq war broke out there were a couple thousand of protesters in Chicago, a town with 10 million counting the suburbs. Here in Draguignan (about 50 000 counting the town and the surronding villages and countryside) I have seen 4000 protest against reforming our high school diplomas (the current system in which all kids have the same test and all have the same weight of diploma was preserved over decentralizing the high school diplomas into ones from "good" and "bad" schools. I took my 2 and a half year old daughter with me and was telling her that the unionists/communists with the ché flags and red flags are fighting the good fight on behalf of the majority of people in the world who work for a living. I proudly wore my SUD EDUCATION stickers on my shirt and my daughter had an anti boss/owning class sticker with the marie anne (french revolutionary woman) symbol on it. Some high school kids were their demanding the retirement age be pushed back to 20! (gotta love the energy and idealism of kids even if it isnt pragmatic).

[earth mom]

9. France ROCKS!

:yourock:

[reggie the dog]

11. you all can make the usa rock

i dont like the tea parties message but at least they are getting off their couches. I think the thing is the media here in France covers protests be they left or right wing, in the usa you protest but it is ignored by the media or the media parrots police figures, here the media says union figures, and police figures, and tends to side with the unionists figures. I cant wait for our next day of action....