France
French auto workers threaten to blow up factory
Workers at collapsed French car parts maker New Fabris threatened on Sunday to blow up their factory if they did not receive payouts by July 31 from auto groups Renault and Peugeot to compensate for their lost jobs.
New Fabris was declared to be in liquidation in April, so the 366 workers stand to get no redundancy money, although they are entitled to draw state unemployment benefit.
Roda, Maria 1877-19???
A short biography of Maria Roda, a fierce champion of women's liberation and anarchism, active in Italy, France and the United States.
“Who knows poverty more than woman?” Maria Roda
1986-1987: France goes off the rails
Documents about and analysis of the mass workers struggles of students and workers in France from November 1986 to January 1987.
Between the end of November 1986 and January 1987 France experienced some significant social struggles.
All Quiet On The French Front
Most of this was completed on March 26th 2006 at the height of the movement in France against the CPE, and then updated for the following 2 weeks or so as the movement flowed and ebbed. It inevitably expresses the optimism of the moment, with all its over-simplifications.
The photo here, from April 2006, translates as "Block The Economy - Free Those Arrested".
[i] A major social movement against neo-liberal policies is currently developing in France. Nationwide, it's the biggest thing since May '68, though it's a long way from the social explosion of 38 years ago, which at that time was clearly the most intensive proletarian assault on class power since 1917- 21. It could die a sad death, but this will probably take some time.
French Strikes 1995-6
In the winter of '95 - '96 there was a series of mainly public sector strikes that brought France to a virtual standstill, but didn't clearly win. This text, translated from the French, doesn't go into detail about the facts of this strike movement, but reflects on some of its contradictions.
The strike and after...
Published Spring 1996
Foreword
The Despotism of Speed
This was published in the early 90s by someone in or around the Encyclopaedie des Nuisances, at the time of the vast extension of the TGV (fast-speed railway) into all parts of France.
Translated from the French.
PROVISIONAL SUMMARY OF OUR GRIEVANCES AGAINST THE DESPOTISM OF SPEED
On the occasion of the extension of the T.G.V. fast-speed railway track.
Interview with Julien Coupat
Translation of a very recent interview with one of the several individuals in France accused of "terrorism" for allegedly sabotaging railway lines.
Interview with Julien Coupat
Auguste Blanqui
A translation of the preface to a recent collection of Blanqui's writings
"To a friend"
"To judge from the current disposition of people's minds, communism isn't exactly knocking on the door. But nothing is as deceptive as the situation, because nothing is so changeable." (Blanqui)
Balance Sheet and Perspectives
The Bourse du travail at rue Charlot in Paris has been occupied since 2 May 2008.
Whereas the occupation of the Bourse du travail in Paris by the Sans-papiers workers is officially threatened by eviction by the highest authority of management of the Bourse, it really seems that the time has come to ask oneself one simple question: what is the balance sheet of this struggle?
French universities in revolt over education reforms
For more than 10 weeks now, French universities have been disrupted by strikes, mass meetings, demonstrations and occupations as a daily occurrence in an unheard-of wave of protest by university staff and students against President Nicolas Sarkozy's neoliberal reforms of higher education.
A dozen mass demonstrations with tens of thousands of people have been held, motorway tollbooths have been occupied and university council meetings invaded. Parallel university lectures, in streets, shopping centres or on trams have been used to help popularise the movement that shows no sign of stopping.
