jef costello's blog

Last thursday a wildcat strike by train drivers at the Belgian station of Termonde lead to the cancellation of many services, a spokesman for the railway claimed not to know what had triggered the unofficial action.

Five firemen are currently on trial accused of "violence against police agents with the use of or menace of a projectile weapon". There has been a demonstration of support by other firefighters. The clashes occured last November.

There was a demonstration in Nantes on the 17th in memory of Taoufik el-Amri. A silent march was led through the city by his wife Priscilla. Over 500 people attended. A second march was organised in Alençon for the 23rd after repeated requests made to his wife.
The police officers arrested in relation to his disappearance have been released on bail.

Last Saturday there was an anti-unemployment demo in Paris, beginning in the Place de la Republique, where they blindfolded the statues and gave them placards saying 'unemployed' there was then a march. There were several hundred people present with CNT and SUD members heavily represented (pictures to follow). Trafic was stopped by the demo itself, rather than police.

Journalists at the French newspaper Liberation have voted massively in favour of a strike after management proposals to fire 81 of the 276 staff were announced.

The priority accorded to five french trade unions: CGT, CFDT, FO, CFE-CGC et CFTC is under threat as the Economic and Social Council recommends changing the system.

To celebrate being chosen as the socialist party candidate has finally voiced an opinion on something. She has promised that the first law she will pass upon becoming President will be against domestic violence. One French woman is killed every three days by her current or former partner.

The Alliance Union, which has strongly supported Sarkozy was beaten in the vote by Unsa Police, which leans towards the Socialist party. Unsa Police will now have the official union place on the conseil d'administration.

This is a translation of a statement by one of the French student groups on Campus

Is this what the President calls dialogue?
(translation of a leaflet handed out by students at the Univerity of Nanterre this morning)

On Monday morning, campus security sprayed dozens of students trying to enter building B with pepper sprayed. Their crime? They were simply looking to agree a meeting with the administration to register all the remaining unregistered students.

In an unusual development French police officers have been placed under investigation. The inquiry into the deaths of Zyed Benna and Bouna Traoré initially called 11 police officers to testify. Placing them under investigation for “failure to assist a person in danger”. The number of officers being investigated has since been reduced to five.

There was a demonstration in Paris on Friday night, much like a critical mass cycle demonstration from what I could tell.
When I passed by there was a police bus containing 40-50 cyclists who had been arrested.
About 2 hours later I saw the same bus parked outside a police station, with what seemed like the same people on board.

After hearing so much about these during the anti-CPE struggle I was very pleased to be present at one on my first day at work.

The sister law of the CPE may also be withdrawn in a humiliating reverse for the french government, this time it is their own legal system defending workers' rights, rather than massive mobilisations of workers and students.

In France there is a much higher general level of militancy. Today I saw several schools (about 2/3) carrying banners claiming solidarity with "etudiants sans papiers" (sans papiers means undocumented and usually refers to those without official permission to stay in France.) One listed the names of students from the school at risk of deportation.

In France a student union is not a place to have some cheap drinks; it is a student organisation. You may have issues with the way they are run, and I hope to be able to shed some more light on this, but the fact is that three student organisations had set up stalls and were leafletting new students.
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