Strike and demonstration Tuesday October 1: who is mobilized ?

This Tuesday, October 1st, is marked by a new day of mobilization to demand the repeal pension reform and wage increases.

THE ESSENTIAL

• This Tuesday, October 1st, throughout France, a call for mobilization has been issued ;was launched by the CGT, the FSU and several youth organizations such as the Student Union, the ;Unef, Fidl or even the High School Student Union.
• The demands concern pensions, salaries but also gender equality and the financing of public services.
• The mobilization took place while the Prime Minister gave his general policy speech at 3 p.m., in order to present his program and roadmap to parliamentarians.
• The schools were affected by a strike of about 6% of teachers according to figures from the Ministry of National Education.
• The CGT counted 170,000 demonstrators throughout France at the end of the afternoon.

Live

According to figures released by the CGT on Tuesday late afternoon, 170,000 people demonstrated throughout France.

17:12 – Arrests in Toulouse

While 3,500 people are demonstrating in Toulouse according to the prefecture, dozens of arrests have been made. Tensions have risen in some neighborhoods. On Rue de Troubadours, demonstrators tried to break into a squat. They also climbed onto roofs to throw tiles at the police.

16:32 – Projectile throwing in Lyon

Some tensions were noted in Lyon. Projectiles were thrown at the police and some demonstrators reportedly armed themselves with glass bottles.

16:00 – What participation ?

In Marseille, 2,800 people marched according to the prefecture. There were between 3,000 and 5,000 in Lyon according to the authorities, between 800 and 1,500 in Perpignan and 300 in Orléans. A thousand demonstrators were reportedly counted in Bayonne and Pau. While the Parisian figures are still awaited, the mobilization seems smaller. The last one on salaries at the end of 2023 brought together 92,500 demonstrators throughout France according to the authorities and 200,000 according to the CGT, a figure that still seems far away.

15:29 – Various slogans chanted

The unions are demanding on October 1st the abandonment of the unemployment insurance reform, the repeal of the pension reform, a new negotiation on the employment of seniors and a wage increase. Several slogans were chanted in this sense such as “Young people in trouble, old people in misery, we don't want this society!” Others denounce the “denial of democracy”, brought about by the appointment of Michel Barnier. We can then read on placards: “Barnier PM = boulevard au RN”, “Resist, refuse this Macronist world”. 

15:00 – Difficult weather conditions

If the weather is holding up in the capital, this is not the case everywhere. In Nantes, for example, umbrellas and K-ways are out. Heavy rains are falling on the demonstrators, but without demotivating them.

14:45 – In Rennes, tempers have flared

While the Prefecture counted 2,500 demonstrators, compared to 4,000 for the unions, damage was noted, particularly on shop windows. An intrusion also took place in a Picard store. The CRS intervened with tear gas, following a theft. The exchanges were also tense between CGT activists and hooded activists, who were not welcome.

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14:18 – The rally begins at Paris

The Parisian procession sets off from Place Denfert-Rochereau in the 14th arrondissement. It will then reach Place de la Bastille, in the 12th arrondissement. A route that will therefore take place at the same time as the Prime Minister's general policy speech before the Assembly, scheduled for 3 p.m. 

12:45 – Blocked high schools

Attempts to block high schools took place this Tuesday. This was notably the case at Caen, at the François-de-Malherbe high school, where parents of students received the following message from the principal: “We experienced disturbances around the high school with attempts to block it by students, but also many adults from outside the high school”. The police intervened and the establishment was once again accessible.

6.08% of teachers declared themselves on strike this Tuesday, according to figures from the Ministry of National Education at midday. This represents 4.52% of teachers in primary education, 7.48% in secondary education. Middle schools are the most affected with 8.95% compared to 6.30% in high schools. 

11:41 – Images of the first processions

Images of the first processions are shared. In Rennes or Marseille, for example, several hundred people are gathered. 

11:00 – A demonstration followed ?

The CGT has counted around 180 rallies across the country, with the CFDT, FO, CGE-CGC, CFTC and Unsa having refused to join the mobilization. In Paris, the authorities have counted on 5,000 to 10,000 participants for the demonstration which will begin at 2 p.m. on Place Denfert-Rochereau. She will leave for Place de la Bastille, in the 12th arrondissement.

10:45 – A major mobilization in schools

Teachers are mobilizing for “their salaries, their pensions, to finally obtain positions and an end to the knowledge shock”, in reference to the education reform which includes the establishment of level groups according to subjects in middle schools, specified the CGT Education. The lack of teachers will also be at the heart of the mobilization, while a teacher was missing in 56% of middle and high schools in France during the last school year and at least 3,000 positions were not filled in the teaching competitions this year. In primary school, the students concerned have been notified, an obligation that does not apply to middle and high schools.

Starting this morning, several processions are setting off, notably in Grenoble (10am), Reims (10am), Orléans (10:30am), Marseille (10:30am), Rennes (11am) and Bordeaux (11:30am). Their demands include the repeal of the pension reform and a wage increase.

LEARN MORE

In Paris, a procession set off from Place Denfert-Rochereau at 2pm, heading towards Place de la Bastille. In Toulouse, Strasbourg, Lille and Dunkirk, the demonstrations also took place in the afternoon, while in Grenoble, Reims, Orléans, Marseille, Rennes and Bordeaux, the departure took place in the morning.

The CGT has counted 179 gathering places, a fairly low figure compared to the 250 of the last day of mobilization against the pension reform that took place in June. This Tuesday was announced as a “first step” that “will allow us to count our forces and show our determination,” the FSU's general secretary, Benoît Teste, told AFP.

“Demonstrate on the day when the Prime Minister makes his general policy speech, it's still a little complicated,” judged on franceinfo the leader of the CFTC, Cyril Chabanier, who is not participating in the mobilization. The mobilization was judged as premature: “We will listen and if we see that it is not going in the right direction, we do not rule out being able to organize mobilizations,” he added.