2017–2018 protests in France

2017-2018 protests in France

Part of Protests against Emmanuel Macron
Protest against Macron in Paris on 23 September 2017
Date	July 3, 2017 - June 1, 2018
Location	France
Type	Demonstrations, General strikes, Sit-ins, Civil disobedience
Cause	Presidency of Emmanuel Macron New proposals for reforms
Organised by	Trade unions, Workers, University students, transportation workers
Outcome	Government ignores main demands, reverse new job law, labour law being passed

The 2017-2018 protests in France is mass protests and a popular movement in France as part of the Protests against Emmanuel Macron, Emmanuel Macron is new president, against his labour reform law in September 2017 and Rail laws in March 2018, leading to two months of protests.^[1]

Background[]

France has seen widespread protest rallies, uprisings since the 2005 French riots, mainly the 2010 French pension reform strikes and Nuit Debout. Amid the protests, the government of François Hollande managed to pass the new reforms, especially the El Khomri law, which sparked the Nuit Debout uprising. After the new reform program was announced, workers and employers and employees participated in demonstrations against the laws.^[2]

Wine Producer protests[]

Languedoc-Roussillon is a name given to the wine producers protests in southern France, where protesters have been taking to the streets since 2016 in protest at Cheap Wine Imports, attacking shops, lorries in Burgundy. The protests would be held in the south, as where most of the production takes place.^[3]

Labour Reform Protests[]

In September, president Emmanuel Macron announced a new labour reform program and a series of budget cuts, sparking nationwide protests and street demonstrations against him and his new labour laws, consisting of almost 4000 strike actions and protest rallies in weeks of protests (the biggest being in Marseilles). Thousands of workers, slackers and employees went on strike, calling for the resignation of president Emmanuel Macron and the withdrawal of the new labour plans.^[4]

Thousands protested and participated in demonstrations and large street rallies in protest at the bill, however, the government did not make concessions with protesters, labour protests and union-led strikes turned out to be larger, leading to the government to step in and prevent the protests, but their demands were not heard. Protesters marched in the largest and final protest on 10 October, but was met with violence.^[5]

Rail Union Protests[]

Tens of thousands of workers to up to 200,000 civilians participated in demonstrations from March to June in 2018 in protest against a new labour rail system law, and triggered massive anti-rail system strikes and provoked humongous anti-government demonstrations across France in Paris, Belfort, Bordeaux, Lyon and Marseilles. Hundreds of thousands marched in Paris on 23 May, the biggest protest yet, in rallying over the government, sparking small fights and scuffles with police.^[6]

Many were arrested during the wave of protests and stations had to shut down, with travellers rescheduling their trips despite daily protest rallies. Huge anti-government crowds marched alongside groups of protesters from all around Paris and Lyon to demonstrate but demonstrations were banned and were quelled by the security forces over the next month.^[7] University students had also marched alongside the workers staging the weekly rallies against proposed reforms which they say would cut jobs and make it harder to seek jobs.

See also[]

• Protests against Emmanuel Macron
• Yellow vests movement

References[]