The reggae of Bob Marley escapes from the sound system of the Unitary Trade Union Federation (FSU) truck parked at the foot of the Arc de Triomphe at the Porte d’Aix. Tuesday, March 28, 2:30 p.m., the tenth major demonstration against the pension reform organized in Marseille by the inter-union ended in a relaxed atmosphere. Several tens of thousands of people – 180,000 according to the unions – disperse in the adjacent streets. As since the beginning of the protest, the atmosphere of the official procession was determined but peaceful and festive. And even the spontaneous invasion of the Saint-Charles station, decreed by a few thousand demonstrators as an after party, goes smoothly.
If in Rennes, Bordeaux, Lyon and of course Paris, incidents precede or enamel the demonstrations, no major overflow has been reported in Marseille, while an eleventh day of mobilization is looming this Thursday, April 6. Since the first demonstration on January 19, only six people have been arrested, according to the Bouches-du-Rhône police headquarters – 32 if we add the arrests during so-called “wild” parades -, while 1.7 million individuals walked the streets, according to the unions (171,000 according to the authorities).
“First, it’s historic: there has never been any real trouble in Marseille in the demonstrations organized by the unions”, assures the elected FSU to the metropolis Philippe Challande, by putting away the banners. “There is a tradition of strong supervision on the part of organizations and in particular the CGT. Everyone manages their procession and communicates so that everyone can react if there is a problem,” complements its departmental secretary, Caroline Chevé. The CGT of Bouches-du-Rhône, whose secretary general, Olivier Mateu, has multiplied radical declarations since the beginning of the conflict, does not wish to communicate on the organization of its security service. But the presence of a system made up in particular of dockers and metallurgists helps to control any autonomous elements.
Morning demonstrations
This atmosphere, for the moment more serene than elsewhere, also has technical causes. First, the fact that the demonstrations take place here in the morning, starting at 10.30 a.m. and ending before 3 p.m. Far from nightfall.
Another key element: the choice of route. If, on January 19, the first demonstration against the reform followed the usual route of Marseille processions, starting from the top of the Canebière to cross the hypercentre and pass near the prefecture and the main police station of the city, the intersyndicale has, from the second day of mobilization, January 31, changed options.
You have 59.52% of this article left to read. The following is for subscribers only.