2023-05-02 01:24:28
Several hundred thousand people marched across France on Monday for May Day. According to the CGT, there are even 2.3 million opponents of the pension reform who were in the street on Monday, including 550,000 in Paris. For the Ministry of the Interior, it would rather be a question of 782,000 demonstrators throughout France and 112,000 in the capital. A count by the independent firm Occurrence counted 94,000 demonstrators in Paris.
The police also counted 16,300 demonstrators in Caen (40,000 according to the CGT), 8,700 demonstrators in Strasbourg (15,000), 7,300 in Lille (15,000), 11,000 in Marseilles (130,000), 13,500 in Toulouse (100,000), 15,000 in Brest (33,000) and 14,000 in Clermont-Ferrand (25,000).
Last year, 116,500 people marched in France, including 24,000 in Paris, according to the Interior Ministry.
“This May Day is one of the strongest of the social movement”
“It’s a big May Day. It is not a last stand, it is the challenge of the world of work to this reform, ”rejoiced the leader of the CFDT Laurent Berger. “This May 1 is one of the strongest of the social movement”, added the general secretary of the CGT Sophie Binet. The union also hailed “a historic May Day” in a press release.
This workers’ day “takes place in union unity and that alone is historic”, rejoiced the general secretary of FO, Frédéric Souillot.
The parades were still marked by clashes in several cities in France, and mainly in Paris, Nantes and Lyon. “If the vast majority of demonstrators were pacifists of course, in Paris, Lyon and Nantes in particular, the police face extremely violent thugs who came with one objective: to kill cops and attack the property of others”, denounced on Twitter the Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin.
The last united parade with the eight main unions dates back to 2009, in the face of the financial crisis (the CGT had counted nearly 1.2 million demonstrators, the police 456,000). In 2002 (900,000 to 1.3 million people), the unions had also united to “block” Jean-Marie Le Pen.
Other dates closely scrutinized
This May 1 comes after the validation of the main text of the pension reform by the Constitutional Council and its promulgation in stride.
The unions are now turning their eyes to two new dates: May 3, when the “Wise Men” will vote on a second request for a shared initiative referendum (RIP), and June 8, when a bill from the group of Liot deputies repealing the reform will be on the menu of the Assembly.
Present in the processions, the political left also encourages the demonstrators to “continue”. “The fight continues until the withdrawal. Do not listen to the insipid and quavering voice of resignation, of capitulation”, thundered Jean-Luc Mélenchon (LFI).
“Neither the French men and women nor the unions nor the progressive political parties are ready to turn the page”, added Marine Tondelier (EELV). If the anger remains strong, some in the government want to believe “that we have spent the brunt in terms of protest”.
Emmanuel Macron gave himself on April 17 “100 days of appeasement” and “action” to relaunch his five-year term. Elisabeth Borne will send invitations to the unions “in the coming days”, according to the Minister of Labor, Olivier Dussopt.
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