Photos-Big demonstration against Sarko government

by LEP Thu Sep 23rd, 2010 at 01:38:12 PM EST

in Paris today. The issue is the government's ramming through a law increasing the minimum retirement age form 60 to 62 and the full retirement age from 65 to 67. Of course, that's the given grevience but more and more of the French are starting to realize just how dangerous Sarko might be.

I waited for the march to meet me at the Sorbonne. It started at La Bastille and went on to Denfert-Rochereau. If I had to make a guess as to the size of the demonstration it would be between 180,000 and 250,000.

Here's the start of the march as I met it.

And the message could be summed up thusly.

More photos in the comments section.

Photos-Big demonstration against Sarko government | 21 comments (21 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

Re: Big demonstration against Sarcozy government (4.00 / 9)

As these thing go the mood of the protesters was quite serious.

Hey, Grandma Moses started late!

by LEP on Thu Sep 23rd, 2010 at 01:46:03 PM EST

Re: Big demonstration against Sarcozy government (4.00 / 3)

Several (see ladies in first photo) demonstrators are wearing a sticker proclaiming:

JE LUTTE des classes

meaning:

I CLASS-STRUGGLE

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Thu Sep 23rd, 2010 at 03:06:10 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Big demonstration against Sarcozy government (none / 1)

Yes, many had that sticker.

Hey, Grandma Moses started late!

by LEP on Thu Sep 23rd, 2010 at 03:27:54 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Big demonstration against Sarcozy government (none / 0)

By the way. I didn't get the one with "Sarkophage".

Hey, Grandma Moses started late!

by LEP on Thu Sep 23rd, 2010 at 03:32:31 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Big demonstration against Sarcozy government (none / 0)

I took it to mean "or be eaten by Sarkozi."

"It is not necessary to have hope in order to persevere."

by ARGeezer (ARGeezer a in a circle eurotrib daught com) on Thu Sep 23rd, 2010 at 05:11:05 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Big demonstration against Sarcozy government (4.00 / 3)

Yep, it 's a play between antropophage (anthropophagous) and sarcophage (sarcophagus) and of course Sarkozy.
(Come to ET, learn foreign languages at no extra cost -:)

by Bernard (bernard) on Fri Sep 24th, 2010 at 03:34:13 PM EST
[ Parent ]

More general photos. (4.00 / 9)

More photos after dinner.

Hey, Grandma Moses started late!

by LEP on Thu Sep 23rd, 2010 at 01:56:15 PM EST

Re: More general photos. (4.00 / 2)

Good going LEP!

You can't be me, I'm taken

by Sven Triloqvist on Thu Sep 23rd, 2010 at 02:27:06 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Who was there? (4.00 / 6)

Well, almost everyone. Here's a few illustrations.

Hey, Grandma Moses started late!

by LEP on Thu Sep 23rd, 2010 at 03:15:37 PM EST

Re: Who was there? (4.00 / 2)

Kudos to you!!
What a great way to tell a real story that the rest of the world will probably never see.
Jim feels really bad at having missed this one.
Excellent pictures.
When do we see you next?

Capitalism searches out the darkest corners of human potential, and mainlines them.

by geezer in Paris (risico at wanadoo(flypoop)fr) on Fri Sep 24th, 2010 at 02:01:19 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Who was there? (none / 0)

I'll call you next week.

Hey, Grandma Moses started late!

by LEP on Fri Sep 24th, 2010 at 02:28:50 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Who was there? (4.00 / 3)

Photo 1: French Socialist Party (PS)
Photo 2: SGP, the Policemen Union
Photo 3: Nurses Union
Photo 4: Teachers Union
Photo 5: Artists Union
Photo 6: Journalists Union

Who said unions were a dying breed in France?

by Bernard (bernard) on Fri Sep 24th, 2010 at 03:39:36 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Will this demonstration be effective? (none / 1)

I doubt it. Sarkozy will ignore it or maybe throw a few crumbs. If the unions are serious about confronting Sarkozy they will need to close down the country for a day or two. And there were many cries for a "greve general" from the crowd. But I'm not sure the unions have it in them or have the power to do so. Time will tell ;)

Hey, Grandma Moses started late!

by LEP on Thu Sep 23rd, 2010 at 03:22:55 PM EST

Re: Will this demonstration be effective? (4.00 / 2)

Did you do a headcount? Apparently the unions and the Govt disagree on how many turned up (surprise...)

by In Wales (inwales aaat eurotrib.com) on Thu Sep 23rd, 2010 at 04:02:34 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Will this demonstration be effective? (4.00 / 2)

You're joking ;) I just guessed and if you pressed me I would have to go with the lower number. I haven't seen the numbers yet for Paris from the police and the unions. That's why I said only shutting down the country for a day would work; the numbers game won't matter.

Hey, Grandma Moses started late!

by LEP on Thu Sep 23rd, 2010 at 04:17:05 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Will this demonstration be effective? (4.00 / 3)

Wonderful report, great photos, LEP. A couple years ago I would have felt obliged to do the same-
Getting preoccupied with lesser things, that just seem important, like learning to do websites with "Kompozer".
Bah. WYS hardly resembles WYG.
If there is enough guts to shut down the city, I'll do that one. Want to pool our resources?
I was here when the city was really shut down, and it was a historic event that was utterly under-reported and distorted by the media of the time.
Not so much in an attempt to preemptively rewrite history, but just because of incompetence and elitism. The papers and TV of the time had no idea what the average guy thought or felt- why he was there. Nor did they understand the depth of support from those who did not participate directly but suffered through it nonetheless.

Capitalism searches out the darkest corners of human potential, and mainlines them.

by geezer in Paris (risico at wanadoo(flypoop)fr) on Fri Sep 24th, 2010 at 01:51:45 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Will this demonstration be effective? (4.00 / 2)

I agree. I always think that if you want leftish policies it first helps to elect a leftish government. France seems incapable of doing that for various reasons.

keep to the Fen Causeway

by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Thu Sep 23rd, 2010 at 06:04:39 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Will this demonstration be effective? (4.00 / 2)

Oh, that's easy: the right-wing politicians always pledge leftish or populist policies before they are elected; or even after: just this week, for instance:

France24 - France pushes aid to poor at UN, but record tells a different story

An impassioned French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Monday pledged to boost aid to the world's poorest by 20% over the next three years and issued a plea for other developed nations to join him in meeting UN anti-poverty targets by 2015.

Touching, huh? But wait...

But most experts say none of the aims will be reached by the target date of 2015 and France is hardly leading the pack.
France: mission unaccomplished
In 2005, those countries that signed the MDGs committed to give aid equivalent to 0.51% of their gross national product (GNP) by 2010. But figures released by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) suggest France has been found wanting -- according to its analysis the country's contribution last year was 0.47%

by Bernard (bernard) on Fri Sep 24th, 2010 at 03:47:49 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Photos-Big demonstration (4.00 / 5)

Anarchist slogan seen on a Paris boulevard the week before:

(Who cares about retirement, we don't want to work at all).

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Fri Sep 24th, 2010 at 11:11:00 AM EST

Re: demonstration (none / 0)

Where are the college kids? Too many in the crowd look like they're trying to re-live 1968... :-(

by asdf on Mon Sep 27th, 2010 at 10:19:14 AM EST

Re: demonstration (none / 0)

I think the issue, as posed, (retirement) is too obscure and distant for the students. If the issue starts to become "why is money for education and teachers being reduced?" then, watch out.

Hey, Grandma Moses started late!

by LEP on Mon Sep 27th, 2010 at 01:29:10 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Photos-Big demonstration against Sarko government | 21 comments (21 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

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Photos-Big demonstration against Sarko government

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