Tag: France
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An Infernal Dance: The 2022 French Presidential Election
Five years ago, between the first and the second round of the French presidential election, the slogan “Macron 2017 = Le Pen 2022” was easy to spot on walls and … Keep reading »
The Meaning of Macron: Lessons from the Fifth Republic
France has always had a slippery status within comparative political economy. Once upheld as an ideal model of a planned capitalist economy during the Les Trente Glorieuses of the postwar … Keep reading »
COVID-19 and Class Struggle in France
Protests and strikes are on the rise across France against deteriorating working conditions, job losses and Macron’s woeful response to the COVID crisis. Keep reading »
France: In the Wake of Last Sunday’s ‘Green Wave’
On Sunday, the 28th of June, voters across France went to the polls to decide the municipal governments of 4,820 communes, including all of the country’s largest cities. The vote … Keep reading »
France at a Crossroads
The nationwide general strike in France, now entering its record seventh week, seems to be approaching its crisis point. Despite savage police repression, about a million people are in the … Keep reading »
One Year of the Yellow Vests in France
Converge With Planned Labour Strikes This past weekend the Yellow Vests (Gilets Jaunes) celebrated their first birthday, with convivial barbeques on traffic circles (roundabouts) all over France followed by direct actions … Keep reading »
Paris Police Teargas Peaceful Climate Demonstrators
It was 42° C (108° F) in Montpellier, France, last week, and the French police were still teargassing peaceful demonstrators – whether Yellow Vests in Montpellier or ecologists in Paris … Keep reading »
The Yellow Vests of France: Six Months of Struggle
The Yellow Vest (Gilets jaunes) movement is still going strong after six months, despite a dearth of information in the international media. Keep reading »
Yellow Vests Struggle to Reinvent Democracy
Macron Cranks Up Propaganda and Repression. After five months of constant presence and hazardous Saturday marches, the massive, self-organized social movement known as the Gilets Jaunes (Yellow Vests) has just held its second nationwide Assembly of Assemblies. Keep reading »
Yellow Vests and Red Unions Strike Together
On Tuesday, February 5, as the government of Emmanuel Macron pushed harsh repressive laws against demonstrators through the National Assembly, the Yellow Vests joined with France’s unions for the first time in a day-long, nation-wide “General Strike.” Keep reading »
What Colour is Your Vest?
The Gilets Jaunes Revolt Shaking France In 1934, the political situation in France was tense and uncertain. The year began with a mobilization of royalist and fascist militias (on February 6) … Keep reading »
Seasons Greetings from France’s Yellow Vests: “We Are Not Tired”
Is the Yellow Vest (Gilets Jaunes) rebellion, now in its seventh week, “petering out?” Such was the near-unanimous pronouncement of the mainstream media, when I returned home to Montpellier, France, … Keep reading »