Le Noooge bouge!

With a huge NUJ banner held aloft, a dozen or so NUJ Paris branch members joined an estimated three hundred thousand public and private sector employees as well as students in Paris on a day of protest that saw more than two million French people on the streets across the country.

The sheer volume of demonstrators meant that the NUJ presence went somewhat unnoticed although it did attract the attention of some French participants curious to understand what a British group was doing sharing their industrial action.

The huge turn out sent a powerful message both to the French Government and many other Governments world wide that workers both in the private and public sectors were not going to pay for the faults of the bankers and wanted better wages and conditions. Many world leaders might have been gathered in Davos but their eyes and thoughts were turned towards the Paris national strike. It is one French product that few want to see exported.

But nobody organizes demonstrations better than the French who have had more than 200 years experience. Thanks must go to Baron Haussmann for designing the wide, long avenues that provide so much space for the French to express their demands or vent their anger at their Government. The march had been planned to block the centre of the city from the Bastille to the Place de l’Opera, passing through the Place de la Republique, names that are intrinsically linked to French history.

On the day, the Bastille had a distinctly carnival atmosphere as people massed for the start of the march. Traders had been savvy enough to set up stalls selling hamburgers, sausages, sandwiches and drinks. Union representatives passed around with leaflets and newspapers. There were families with prams, bikers and vans with loudspeakers churning out the International, which sounded odd now that Russia has become so capitalist. A sign showing a photo of Obama and Sarkozy side by side with the captions: “Yes we can” and “No week-end” was rather clever.

The strike was intended to bring France to a standstill, but although it was estimated to have cost 500million Euros, many public sector services were maintained. The Paris metro was functioning reasonably well since union leaders probably understood that no transport meant no demonstrators. After two hours, during which the marchers had covered less than a kilometer, the NUJ group lost some of its participants. And when the group reached the Place de la Republique as darkness was falling together with the temperature, the banner was lowered and rolled up. The NUJ could be proud of its contribution.

The last of the marchers finally reached the Opera about 9 pm where the protest unfortunately ended in violence with a handful of demonstrators confronting the police followed by the traditional smashing of shop windows and overturned cars. It was a shame that the day had to be marred by mindless violence since there had been hardly any sight, or need, of the police during the march, that had been peaceful and good humored.