For once, I got the chance to celebrate Labour Day on May 1, just as it should be—not on the first Monday in September, looking at you, North America.
International Workers’ Day is taken seriously in France, even during lockdown (what lockdown?). Typical activities include participating in rallies and marches, burning garbage cans, fighting with riot control cops and hanging out with other like-minded socialists, communist and anarchist friends. You’re also supposed to buy and offer lily of the valley flowers, a symbol of spring, renewal and luck.
“Grab your camera and go!” my mom urged around noon. “It’s getting fun! Look, these two garbage cans have just been set on fire seconds ago and I can smell tear gas.”
“Looks lively,” I agreed. “Alright, going out.”
“Be careful, chérie,” she added as an afterthought because it’s not easy to be both an anarchist and a mother.
Oh, it was lively alright. Crowded streets, cordons of riots control cops blocking exits to contain the protest, eye-stinging gas and burning tires, broken glass and revolutionary songs—the perfect May Day recipe.
CRS=SS !
Tiens, les débardeurs du port de Montréal ont voulu faire la grève. Juju et sa clique, avec l’aide évidemment des régressistes-conservateurs, a fait voter une loi spéciale forçant le retour au travail. Et il y en a qui pensent que Trudeau est de gauche …
Je l’ai pensé, j’avais vraiment des espoirs avec Trudeau. Je suis tombée de haut…
Ça m’agace prodigieusement de lire un peu partout dans divers médias canadiens que les libéraux fédéraux sont un parti de centre gauche.
Non, les libéraux sont de droite, les régressistes-conservateurs d’extrême-droite, et les néo-démocrates effectivement de centre gauche.
Nous squons veut s’est des émeutes encore. Mort au capital. Travaillons moins.
= J’adore.
Je cherche plus de camarades anarchistes dans mon quartier justement…
Bon, on est deux… c’est un début! 😆
got to love the French 🙂
They certainly get protests right!
Thank you for your report. I live in Belgium, but I utterly ignored there were such “anarchistic” activities in Nantes to to celebrate Labour Day. Reading your post made my day.
How are things going in Belgium? French media have been reporting anti-lockdown (or anti-COVID mesures) protests in Belgium. Is it actually a thing or are media overblowing it?
There are some demonstrations in Belgium, but I don’t think any of them is an “anarchistic” one.
For instance, when an unauthorized meeting is called “la Boum 2”, its aim is not really social criticism, is it?
Yes, I heard about the funny name, well at least it sounded funny to me. Looked like it was a weird gathering without much political purpose…
LOL i love your mom !
I love her too 😉
Wow, no such thing in Switzerland 😀
I didn’t know demonstrations were (still) a thing in France on this day.
A French tradition 😆 May Day is big in other EU countries and in China as well.