France rises against Sarkozy - strikes Black Thursday

[Disco_Destroyer]

French strikes: Violence erupts as thousands gather to protest on 'Black Thursday'
Hundreds of thousands of protesters marched through French cities, with violence erupting in some places, as part of a day of national strikes demanding pay rises and better protection for jobs.

Last Updated: 2:06PM GMT 30 Jan 2009

Thousands of private and public sector workers have demanded pay rises and protection for jobs. ; http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1488655367/bctid95285800 01 http://www.brightcove.com/channel.jsp?channel=1139053637
The streets filled with flag-waving protesters and in Paris protesters clashed with police, throwing bottles, overturning cars and starting a fire in the street.

Labour leaders hailed the strikes and rallies, which marked the first time France's eight union federations had joined forces against the government since Sarkozy took office in 2007.

"This is one of the biggest days of worker action in the past 20 years," said Francois Chereque, head of the large, moderate CFDT group.

Unions said 2.5 million people took part in dozens of rallies across France, including 300,000 in Paris. Police put the figure at just over a million nationwide.

Full-blooded chants echoed out across the Place de la Bastille in Paris, with the symbol of the French Revolution at the centre of a day of anti-government demonstrations.

Although the interior ministry said that the protesters numbered just over one million, they were the biggest since Mr Sarkozy came to power in 2007 and on a par with the last huge demonstration, in March 2006, which hastened the exit of the prime minister of the time, Dominique de Villepin.

In the Place de la Bastille, booming megaphones mingled with French rock music and barbecue smoke as an ocean of protesters from the public and private sector marched to call on President Sarkozy to do more to protect jobs and wages, and change tack in fighting the economic crisis.

"Sarkozy gives money to the people who created this crisis, but what about the man in the street?" shouted Antoine Laurent, 20, a history student at the Sorbonne University.

Behind him a group chanted: "Stop the sackings, it's not up to workers to pay for bankers."

One banner read: "360 billion euros for banks, and we are keeling over."

Another read: "Hey Sarkozy, now can you see the strike!" This was an allusion to the French president's famous claim last year: "Now when people go on strike, nobody notices."

After a day of peaceful protests, violence erupted on the fringes of the Paris protest. Dozens of young men wearing scarves across their face were charged down by riot police after throwing stones and bottles, tearing up manhole covers and lighting fires in the Opera district.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/4394671/French -strikes-Violence-erupts-as-thousands-gather-to-protest-on-Black-Thurs day.html

[Disco_Destroyer]

TEAR GAS FIRED AT DAVOS PROTESTERS
http://www.dailyexpress.co.uk/posts/view/82754



Riot police officers during a protest against the Davos World Economic Forum
Saturday January 31,2009
Riot police fired tear gas at bottle-throwing demonstrators in Geneva protesting against the annual World Economic Forum meeting in the Swiss Alps.

Reports said the protest was largely peaceful until police blocked the demonstrators from walking to the centre of the city.

Some in the crowd of about 1,000 people then threw bottles, prompting police to respond with tear gas.

Geneva authorities had denied the anti-capitalist crowd a permit to hold their demonstration.

Police were attempting to corral protesters into a tight area near Geneva's train station.

The forum, an annual gathering of the world's business and political elite, is taking place on the other side of Switzerland in the elegant ski resort of Davos.

[TonyGosling]

more today - this time only a million marcged in Frace's general strike.

A million march in anger over President Sarkozy
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article5940504.ece
Over a million people marched in anger against President Sarkozy across France today as the public sector unions led a new day of strikes and protests over what they see as the Government's unjust economic policies.......

[Thermate911]

That's what I love about the French - takes them a while but they always see through power grabs eventually, especially where l'argent is concerned.

But why did they vote him in in the first place? Oh, of course, he had the media sown up.

So today, bye bye Sarkosy, champion of a Blair EU presidency! At least he hasn't managed the depths of perfidy of 'law-givers' like Berlusconi & Straw.

From AFP:-
http://www.france24.com/en/20090319-france-faces-another-black-thursda y-strikes-financial-crisis

[Thermate911]

...and if further proof was needed re: Sarkozy's intentions



It just seems to slip out with these illuminidiots almost unconciously, dunnit?