A very clear decline in attendance and slogans that resonate with international news. Placed under the sign of “social justice and peace”the demonstrations of 1er-May attracted much fewer people than those of 2023, while returning to a level of mobilization comparable to that of previous “editions”.
The desire to take over public space on Wednesday was not as ardent as a year ago, when a powerful social movement tried – in vain – to prevent the entry into force of the reform of the retirements. This less combativeness is also due, somewhat, to the crumbling of union unity, several confederations having gone their separate ways (Force Ouvrière) or having abstained from participating (CFE-CGC). On the streets part of the left-wing people and many activists marched, committed to multiple causes: those of the workers, of course, but also of Palestine.
According to the Paris police headquarters, some 18,000 people took to the streets of Paris, from Place de la République to Place de la Nation, or six times fewer than in 2023. Union sources claim that there were 50,000 demonstrators in the capital on Wednesday. Across the country, the Interior Ministry says it has counted 121,000 women and men on the streets (compared to 800,000 last year). Here again, the CGT puts forward another, more flattering assessment: “More than 210,000”.
“The social breakdown is enough”
In the Parisian procession, five employee organizations and several youth defense movements occupy “the head square”. Their leaders repeat all the bad things they think about the actions of those in power. “The social breakdown is enough”protests Sophie Binet, the general secretary of the CGT, highlighting the reform of unemployment insurance, which is “violent” And “unjustified”. Even if the government’s intentions remain unclear, in terms of technical modalities, they will result, ultimatelythrough reduced rights for job seekers: “We must give it up”she urges.
In the demonstration, the banners, the placards, the songs express this hostility to the policies of the executive, with Emmanuel Macron, “the president of the rich”as a favorite target of criticism. “Even if we don’t expect much from a day like this, it’s important to show that the 1er-May remains a symbol and that there is always a breath to oppose the government’s projects”, confides Fabien, 38, referring to the civil service reform, which intends to promote remuneration based on merit and “lift the taboo of dismissal”.
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