The deputies have this evening started to examine the private bill which replaces the CPE tonight.
Students outside the offices of Bleu Isère radio station
Meanwhile, having obtained the withdrawal of the CPE, university and high-school students demonstrated calling for the abolition of the rest of the 'law of equal opportunities' which the CPE was a part of, and of the CNE contract which was introduced last September.
In Paris, the demonstration gathered 2,300 to 10,000 people according to the police force and students' national coordination body respectively. This compared to a previous police figure of 23,000 at the time of the last students day of mobilisation on March 23rd. The students of the faculty of Nanterre walked behind a banner which read: "Nanterre mobilized against precariousness and repression. Withdrawal of the law CNE and the law of equal opportunity ".
In the rest of the country, 3,000 demonstrated in Toulouse and according to the organisers and the police force, between 2,000 and 4,000 in Nantes, 1,200 in Rennes according to the police force, approximately a thousand in Poitiers, between 1,000 and 2,000 in Lille, 1,000 to 20,00 in Grenoble and Bordeaux, 1,000 to 1,500 in Montpellier, between several hundred and 1,000 in Nancy, 700 in Strasbourg, and 500 in Lyon, according to UNEF's figures. Between 1,000 and 1,500 people marched in Clermont-Ferrand whilst a demonstration gathered between 1,000 and 2,000 people with Grenoble.
In Marseilles, scene of gigantic processions throughout last two months, the demonstration gathered only 400 people according to the police force, 800 according to organisers.
In the universities, only 5 remained blocked according to national education ministry figures. These included Grenoble 2 and 3, Montpellier 3 and Toulouse 2. Some 27 remained disturbed in some way of the 62 universities not on holiday.
Despite the general slowdown of the movement, having accomplished its chief aims, several towns were the scene of 'direct action' protests:
-In Grenoble 200 high-school pupils and students occupied the offices of local newspaper Dauphiné Libéré and the French state radio station Bleu Isère.
After packing the offices, a number remained on the streets outside handing out leaflets as shown above. After making an attempt to hijack the airwaves, its believed the station was forced to revert to relaying the stations Parisian broadcast. After long negociations with the journalists and director of Bleu Isere, the occupying youths made a recording of 4 people reading out an agreed text which was later broadcast on the 5pm news. You can here a recording of the broadcast here [opens into an mp3].
-200 students and high-school pupils caused a tailback of several kilometers on the motorway A15 in direction of Le Havre
-This moring in Toulouse, students blocked the exit of the two local bus deposits
-150 demonstrators, mostly students in sport, occupied the runway of Nantes airport this morning.
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