A French Protest
We stumbled upon a French specialty only a few days after we arrived: une grande manifestation. While I stopped demonstrating a while ago (I’m too Canadian for that now), Feng and I hung around this one just to take advantage of the photo-op.
Contrary to popular belief, French generally don’t just demonstrate for the sake of it. However, if protests have a main focus point, they also embrace a few broader issues or concerns. Case in point, this demonstration was initiated by civil servants’ unions because the government is trying to push for a pension reform to raise the retirement age to 62. Many workers see retirement at 60 as their right and cling to their social benefits. But the demonstration more broadly targeted Sarkozy and his many failed promises. He is far from being a popular president these days.
In Nantes, over 40,000 took the streets and thousand of transport workers walked off the job. Slogans mostly revolved around the “pouvoir d’achat” (purchasing power) and the growing unemployment rate, as well as the gap between rich and poor.
You can follow our French trip here on Flickr: France (2010).
 Protests tool #1: the microphone |
 Workers’ Struugle newspaper |
All United Against Sarkozy’s Politics
Demonstrators
 Demonstrations are… fun |
 Urgent: Pensions — Football comes after |
 Paid a pittance — the people are angry — Sarko that’s enough |
 The tramway is blocked |
 Work more to earn less — what a jerk you are! |
 Nice hat |
 Protest supporter |
 Go strike! |
 Demonstrator |
 Travail is a refuge for those who have nothing better to do |
Sarkozy is cynical: he knows the price of everything but the value of nothing
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Tagged with: Snapshots of France
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Ha! The cynical quote is from Oscar Wilde, of course it originally did not include any reference to Sarko
Great photos Zhu
Bosses plus pour travailler MOINS zhu et non MORE comme tu as traduit
Les manifestants à Paris avaient plus d’idée dans leur pancarte
@Poem — Yes, I saw on T.V. I guess there are quite a few Americans protesting with them too.
@Max Coutinho — Thank you! It’s nice to go back once in a while and see the city as a tourist.
@Tanya — I know, their signs are so… grammatically correct
@Rich B — El pueblo unido jamas sera vencido (I know it in Spanish for some reason). I guess they just forgot fingers!
@Cynthia — Well, it does apply pretty well, no?
@Agnes — Thank you!
@Crikette — Aw, I’m lost in translation… nothing new here!
Yet, he’s got a beautiful wife.
Apparently, one is for money.
The other for sex?
Ha ha… I don’t have to be a president to work that out?!