How the Gilets Jaunes Launched a Movement Against Police Violence
Flashballs and teargas grenades have left hundreds of French protesters with severe injuries, but resistance to state-sanctioned violence is building by the day.
Tag: france
Economist Frédéric Lordon’s Letter to Emmanuel Macron: “Hand Over the Keys”
On 18 March, president Macron hosted a hand-picked group of 64 intellectuals at the presidential palace to discuss the challenges the country faced. One invitee who refused to attend was economist and philosopher Frédéric Lordon. Gabriel Bristow translates his response.
2018: the Season Finale of Centrism
Was 2018 Centrism’s season finale? Will Macron survive the Gilets Jaunes’ movement? And is there anything liberals won’t blame on Russia or Facebook?
Yellow Jackets in Movement: Understanding the Gilets Jaunes
Appearing at once popular, novel and contradictory, the French gilets jaunes ('yellow jackets') movement has generated intense speculation about its potential and limitations. Gabriel Bristow examines the movement's motivations, composition and future.
‘Macron is attacking everyone, and everyone is fighting back’: Interview with a Union Organiser in France
Over past few months there's been an upsurge in worker resistance across multiple sectors in France. Joe Hayns spoke to union organiser Tiziri Kandi about the Clichy hotel strike, outsourcing, and the rail workers fighting Macron’s labour reforms.
WTF Is Going On in France?
Since the election of Emmanuel Macron last year, student and worker mobilisation in France has been difficult. But recent weeks have seen the emergence of multiple and simultaneous fronts of resistance to his neoliberal agenda.
Solidarity Can Melt Ice: Students and Migrants Occupy a French Château
As temperatures plummeted across France, students in Nantes occupied an art school to provide shelter for migrant rough-sleepers. The occupation moved to a university-owned château and has so far avoided eviction, despite threats.
‘Pas de justice, pas de paix’: The Movement Against Police Violence in France
Police violence and racism are part of the daily reality in many French suburbs. Drawing inspiration from a history of antiracist struggle in France and its former colonies, as well as Black Lives Matter in the US, a contemporary movement is growing to demand justice.
The Liberal Centre Will Not Hold. Halting the Far-Right Requires a Different Social Model
Yesterday's French presidential election was a necessary slap in the face to the far-right Front National, but the victory of Emmanuel Macron doesn't represent the 'return to normal' many centrists have been hoping for.
What Labour Could Learn From the French Election
Jean-Luc Mélenchon has enjoyed a dramatic rise in popularity by calling for an overhaul of the democratic system. Could constitutional reform be the populist strategy Corbyn has been looking for?
Mélenchon: Left Wing Populism à La Française?
Until just weeks ago, the French presidential election looked set to be a runoff between far right candidate Marine Le Pen and the centrist Emmanuel Macron. But with his movement snowballing in the opinion polls, left wing challenger Jean-Luc Mélenchon stands in striking distance of the second round.
A Hot Day in Paris: Report from the Renewed Struggle Against Loi Travail
François Hollande’s proposed labour market reforms look set to deepen levels of worker precarity in France. After a period of relative quiet, September witnessed a renewed show of public resistance.
Towards the Global Strike! 6 Thoughts on Nuit Debout for London and Elsewhere
Sunday Long Read: The social movement Nuit Debout (roughly translated at Rise Up at Night) began on 31 March in Paris and quickly spread across France. The movement is now threatening to go global.
8 Things to Consider About the Charlie Hebdo Massacre
The fallout from the Charlie Hebdo massacre is ongoing, from 'national unity' rallies to attacks on mosques. Some have held up the Charlie Hebdo journalists as martyrs of free speech while others have attacked the magazine as racist and Islamophobic. Here are eight factors to look at further.
Calais Migrants’ Eviction Crisis: 4 FAQs Answered
In June we published a piece on the Calais migrant camp, exploring the issues faced by the 'sans-papiers'. Since then, police and private security have tear-gassed the camp and arrested people while a local fascist group has been gaining support. The most recent announcement is that Calais mayor Natacha Bouchart intends to have the site bulldozed, displacing thousands. Here are the things you need to know.
