June protests down in numbers

THE LATEST day of protests against the government’s economic policies saw less than 150,000 people take part – 10% of the turnout for the May Day marches.

The head of the CGT, one of France’s biggest unions, Bernard Thibault admitted the numbers for the fifth ‘national day of protests’ were “below expectations”.

STORY: One bad turnout deserves another

He placed some of the blame on the Force Ouvrière (FO) union for calling into doubt the effectiveness of the protest ahead of the June 13 marches.

France’s top eight unions have been united in their calls for national strikes and protests since the start of 2009, however leaders are beginning to voice their differences over their strategy.

The FO had wanted the day to include a call for strike action, rather than just street protests.

The head of the FO, Jean-Claude Mailly said: “We need to turn up the pressure because these protests are not enough to make the government make concessions.”
A recent poll by BVA found that while 74% of French people believe the protests are justified, only 33% believe such measures will make the government change their mind