France - Brief Outline Of Some Of The Most Recent Events

The following is just a very superficial outline of some recent events. It is impossibe to verify how much these events are being exaggerated or distorted through the rose-tinted glasses of various revolutionary ideologists, as the alternative media is often desperate to pump up the actions of a few people to make them out to be far bigger than they are, just as the mainstream minimises things. On the other hand, some radicals, reacting to excessive exaggeration, also tend to minimise or ignore certain significant events. In this labyrinth, the struggle to honestly present the facts - without looking at them through either end of a telescope - isn't easy.
I shall speak of what I know from people I trust or from first hand knoweldge in some future text. For the moment, apart from a couple of things, I'll confine myself to information gleaned from the alternative &/or mainstream media.

Yesterday, 5th November:
At least half of the lycees in Montpellier were blockaded. No national news about this (or alternative news, as far as I can tell). However, the French National Front, Le Pen's gang, mention on their website the fact that there have been several blockades of lycees since the return from the All Saints holidays thoughout France and they call for people to create anti-blockade committees by organising through Facebook (the original blockades by lycee students were organised by Facebook messages back in September). I've heard of definite blockades in Sete, Flers, Paris (Montreuil), Le Mans and Perpignan, though it's very likely there have been blockades in several other towns elsewhere too. Lyceens have been arrested in various places throughout the country, some for just throwing eggs.
In Bayonne, the Bank of France was blockaded. No mention in national news.
Striking nurses in a 3 week strike at the Tenon hospital in Paris used some complicated legal maneouvre, very rarely used, and which I don't quite understand, to avoid being requisitioned - to be forced back to work or face a high fine or imprisonment. 2 or 3 nurses remain there, under requisition orders, to give advice in the reception area.
Mainstream news was of blockades of rail tracks by the anti-nuclear movement, with Greenpeace grabbing the limelight. This is because there's a vast quantity of highly radioactive nuclear waste being transported across the north of France to Germany; in Germany alone there are already 30,000 protesters waiting for the train, with 16,000 cops deployed.

On November 4th:
Blockades took place at the following airports:
Bordeaux, Nantes, Toulouse, Roissy, Orly, and Clermont-Ferrand. This was in the mainstream media, as well as the alternative one. At Toulouse airport a guy said on the radio, "We're here to mess everything up - it's the only way to get heard"
At the same time, some incinerators continued to be blocked by striking pickets in the region round Paris.
Various universities were continuing their blockades: Paris 7 & 8, Grenobles 2 & 3, Strasbourg, Rouen, Lyon, St. Etienne, Angers, Nantes, Rennes, Limoges, Toulouse and the obsessive symbol of those nostalgic for '68 - the Sorbonne was occupied, as well as Poitiers University. Several hundred blockading students blockaded the admin building of the University of Strasbourg, until the CRS paid a fiendly visit. A night-time occupation of Toulouse University was evicted by the CRS.
Montpellier 3 was blockaded on October 25th, when a General Assembly of 800 or so voted by at least 75% to blockade the place during the All Saints holiday. The blockade was renewed on October 28th with just a 55% vote for continuation, a vote which ended in violence on the part of some of the anti-blockaders. But on Nov.4th, a long tensely heated (during an Indian summer) debate ended with the anti-blockaders winning by 66%. They'd been summoned by emails sent out by the University President and by Facebook as well: on the second day after the end of the holidays, the anti-blockaders' only argument , apart from the lie that the blockade was illegal, was that they wanted to continue with their degree courses, and from the very start they refused to listen to any other argument (next day - yesterday - on November 5th Montpellier 3, possibly the only university where the blockade was lifted, was the only university mentioned on national news).
In Angers cops prevented youths marching to the UMP (Sarkozy's party) HQ.
There was an Operation Snailspace on the A1 motorway between Paris and Lille. These are becoming harder and harder to carry out, as drivers often get a fine and many lost 6 points on their driving licences (the same number of points lost is imposed for driving which causes accidental death - manslaughter).
There was a "Toll-free" blockade of the toll booth near Rennes - La Gravelle - allowing people to leave the motorway without paying the toll (this has often been part of the current movement - and is obviously very popular with motorists).
Blockade of France3 (national TV station) in Vanves.
Blockade of the Monet exhibition at the Grand Palais ( Champs-Élysées), in Paris. "No Money for Monet" leaflet distributed.
Blockade of a petrol dépôt in Guéret for 6 hours.
Blockade of a bus dépôt in Villeneuve d'Ascq - over 100 buses blocked.
Partial blockade of the port in Brest.

Today - Saturday 6th November - there will be national demonstrations in most major towns and cities throughout the country.

"France against austerity" doesn't really convey the feelings amongst those people struggling in the country: "France against being violently fucked up the arse without vaseline" is probably a bit more accurate.