In Paris, “With the blocking it will be a whole different song, the government will no longer be able to ignore us”
Four hours after the start of the Paris demonstration, the bulk of the procession arrived at Place d’Italie. The unions draw up a first assessment of the day. “successful”inevitably, even if the mobilization was weaker than on Saturday.
“The holidays are approaching, so people have other concerns, yet we don’t feel out of breath”, observes Olivier D., 45, a telecommunications engineer from Essonne. But the local elected CFDT has few illusions about the echo of the day with the government: “Whether there are a hundred thousand or millions, that’s not where the fight will be. For the government, it is clear, the street does not make the law. »
The engineer is only waiting for the “blocking” March 7 now. Without fearing the slightest demotivation by then: “People are going to perk up on vacation and come back ready for the fight. » He no longer expects much from Parliament. If he felt “little openness” in the majority, Olivier D. is disappointed with the opposition, which he hoped “more solid in content than in form: they haven’t always used their time to ask the real questions, those that the French ask themselves. »
Further on the square, Laurent Grosset sings and has a drink with his CGT comrades. The 50-year-old works for an SNCF service provider, a meal preparation company for trains. Like the music spit out by his union truck, he judges the mobilization “good kid”. Too much to move the lines. “See you on March 7warns the CGT activist. The state doesn’t care about demonstrations. Now you have to block. Transportation and refineries, as always. But the truck drivers too, I hope. If they do it will be a whole other thing. The government can no longer ignore us. »
