Today, Thursday 22nd March is the latest "day of action" by public service workers throughout France in protest against President Macron's proposed sweeping changes to their status. Schools, trains, flights, government offices will all be affected. Last year we had similar protests against Hollande's labour changes, but either the public wants the changes (hence Macron's victory) or many were fooled into thinking that he would go the way of his predecessors and back down.
The planned rail strikes (three days on, two days off) starting next month are a separate action and could last for several months.
There is a lot of media talk about "May 1968" as the 50th anniversary of the student unrest of that time, leading to many far reaching changes, approaches. We have heard that the student protests at Toulouse University have support from some left leaning politicians, but the "soixante huiteurs" had a charismatic leader, Danny le Rouge (Cohn Bendit) and somehow Melenchon does not fit that profile. But throwing a pavé into the mix is a tradition now and we can expect a few more weeks of disruption.
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