What mobilization in France on this International Workers’ Day? Thousands of people demonstrated in the streets on Wednesday 1er May, with various demands made by the unions for wages, peace in Gaza or even a Europe “more protective”.
HAS Paris, where the unions counted 50,000 demonstrators, the demonstration set off shortly after 2 p.m. from the Place de la République towards the Place de la Nation, in a fairly large unity, since the CFDT and the UNSA were at the alongside the CGT, FSU and Solidaires. Before the departure of the procession, the number one of the CGT, Sophie Binet, notably highlighted “the refusal of social destruction policies” and the defense of freedoms, including trade union freedoms.
Tensions took place at the head of the procession at the start of the demonstration. Of the “radical elements” have “attempted to damage a business” but have some “were prevented by immediate intervention by the police” according to the Paris Police Prefecture. At 3:45 p.m., the latter reported that calm had returned, “after several interventions”.
A police source spoke to Agence France-Presse about “important pre-procession” of around 4,500 people, with ” several hundred “ of radicals. At 2:40 p.m., 917 people had been checked according to the prefecture, which reported twenty-five arrests.
Our journalist Pierre Bouvier is on site:
Among the first processions to set off, that of Marseille gathered around 3,000 people, according to the police, behind a banner proclaiming: “Mobilized for peace and social progress”. HAS Rennes, the demonstration attracted 1,400 demonstrators, according to the prefecture, while in Nantes there were between 4,000 and 5,000, noted a journalist from Agence France-Presse (AFP). Violence broke out in the city center of Nantes during the demonstration with damage to businesses and shooting of tear gas. HAS Lyon, the parade brought together 13,000 demonstrators according to the unions and 6,500 according to the prefecture. Twenty-two people were arrested at the end of the procession, according to the prefecture.
There were also between 4,000 (unions) and 1,850 (prefecture) in Bordeaux or between 3,000 and 8,000 to Toulouse. HAS Lillethe procession brought together between 2,100 (prefecture) and 4,000 people (CGT) and Strasbourg between 900 and 3,000.
Glucksmann forced to leave the parade in Saint-Etienne
As the European elections approach, several political leaders took part in the demonstrations, such as the number one of the PCF, Fabien Roussel, who marched in Lille, where he said he wanted “put the social question at the heart of the European elections”. In Saint-Etienne, the head of the list of the Socialist Party and Place publique, Raphaël Glucksmann, was prevented from joining the procession after paint was thrown and invectives from a few dozen activists. The socialist candidate notably assured that he had seen “flags of La France insoumise and Permanent Revolution”a Trotskyist movement, among the people who insulted him.
If he says “totally disapprove of the expulsion of Raphaël Glucksmann”Jean-Luc Mélenchon regrets that this “ provided[sse] a media diversion against the 1er-May and a victim role for Glucksmann who takes advantage of it to (…) to accuse [La France insoumise] “.
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On the union side, unity remains quite broad but, unlike 2023, where the eight main French unions (CFDT, CGT, FO, CFE-CGC, CFTC, UNSA, Solidaires, FSU) marched together against pension reform, it there is no national interprofessional slogan.
“Not a disunity”
The CGT, FSU and Solidaires, as well as youth organizations including the UNEF, the FAGE or the MNL (National High School Movement), had launched a joint appeal in particular “against austerity”, for employment and wages or even peace. The first French union, the CFDT, had for its part called for “join the processions organized throughout France, to demand a more ambitious and more protective Europe for workers”.
“We can be united and continue to make common demands without necessarily being all, always, all the time together in the front square. So it’s not a disunity, it’s another way of making our demands”said the number one of the CFDT, Marylise Léon, from Nancy.
On a national level, “120,000 to 150,000” demonstrators are expected, according to a note from the territorial intelligence services. This is significantly less than in 2023, when the mobilization brought together nearly 800,000 demonstrators, according to the authorities, and 2.3 million, according to the CGT. For comparison, it was eight to ten times more than in 2022 – the police had counted some 116,000 demonstrators and the CGT, 210,000.
According to feedback from the CGT, the mobilization is “a little higher than May 1, 2022” who is “the right cursor”SO “social anger (…) is indeed present”said Sophie Binet.