Lille
Behind the blockades
Visiting workers and students in France immediately following the government's withdrawal of the deeply unpopular CPE employment law, Ed Goddard looks at the potential for building a better society the struggle showed.
When analysing the state of the working class, it is up to those looking at it to observe and evaluate the tendencies working within it. By this we don’t mean, “how many people have joined the Marxist-Leninist Workers’ League?” or “how many people self-identify as anarchists?” but something a little more subtle than that.
The anti-CPE struggle continues in France
The withdrawal of the CPE was announced today. This is a victory for the protesters, however the government still has the ability to strongarm similar legislation through and has not withdrawn the other parts of the new law package.
The "loi sur l'egalite des chances" of which the CPE was only a part, remains.
The alliance of unions that opposed the CPE has called for a continuation of the struggle as have many of the protesting groups. The CPE was the straw that broke the camel's back, but the reaction may well see all similar legislation withdrawn.
National co-ordination in Lille calls for unlimited general strike
The National Coordination sets out a strategy for a week of actions against the CPE.
update: see full text at the bottom of this post.
CPE protests: Blockades across France
Brief reports of the road and rail blockades across the country last Thursday 28 March, and updates on the mushrooming high school occupations as 62% declare solidarity with the anti-CPE movement.
Latest Poll
62% of French 'united', or 'in solidarity' with the anti-CPE movement (LCI poll)
Groups of a hundred in moving blockades, Lille
Occupations of high schools in the Pas de Calais region
Reports from the burgeoning lycee (high school) occupations movement against the CPE in and around Lille.
There have been a series of occupations of schools across the region, we are trying to give as much information as possible on the occupations and the General Assemblies that have voted for them and for their continuation.
Lille
Anger boils over: Rioting in Lille, Tours, Paris and Rennes
Further disturbances have been reported in many towns and cities as mass anti-CPE demonstrations ended across France this evening.
At Paris's Le Place de la Nation, the vast square where this afternoons demonstration had ended, hundreds of youths were caught in pitched battles with the CRS riot police. Rounds of tear gas were fired and at least one molotov cocktail was thrown at police. By around 7pm calm began to be restored to the area.
Police say 35,000 protest in Lille
Tens of thousands take to the streets in Lille and across Brittany against the new CPE labour laws.
From Indymedia Lille:
"Perhaps 50,000 people, it appears that the cops acknowledged 35,000 of them...
"All the trade unions were there, the high-school girls and students at the head of the demonstration. At the end of the demonstration there was agitation like has become accustomery.
Youths riot in Paris as school students come out in force
Reports from across the country of yesterday's students' day of action against the CPE.
Yesterday was the students day of action. We were giving updates as and when we recieved them, but this remains just a sample of what happened across France:
Today
One million throng streets in towns across France
Around a million took to the streets today to join protests against the CPE.
Police put the figure at 396,000. Demonstrations took place in 160 cities accress France.
