2023-04-24 12:51:40
May 1st is a public holiday around much of Europe, including France, and this year falls on a Monday, creating the first of four long holiday weekends in May.
But while some French people might be taking advantage of the weekend to take a trip – or swapping the lucky May Day flowers with friends and family – others will be taking to the streets.
Unions are hoping for a massive turnout on the streets to show the anger felt in France over the adoption of Emmanuel Macron’s controversial pension reform. Although the bill has now been approved by the constitutional council and signed into law, protests are continuing.
There have been no more announcements of mass strike days – although individual unions have called for smaller strike days – and instead the inter-union (which represents all eight French union federations) is focusing on May 1st as the next ‘day of action’.
May 1st usually sees marches and demos in most French cities, traditional topics include social issues and, increasingly, the climate crisis.
This year, however, marches are expected to be solidly focused on pension reform, and turnout is expected to be much larger. Unions are calling for a “popular tidal wave” on the streets.
They are hoping to equal turnout at the height of the protests, when 1 million people took to the streets in towns and cities around France.
The CFDT union calls for people to ‘put on your trainers to save retirement’ on May 1st. Image: CFDT
Strikes/closures
There are no major strikes on Monday, so services like railways and city public transport should be functioning as usual, according to the public holiday timetables, which sometimes see a reduced service.
In recent weeks, days of action have been marked with small, local ‘wildcard’ actions such as blocking an airport terminal or walking on the tracks at stations so that trains have to be halted. These disruptions are usually limited in geographical scope and duration.
In big cities, it’s likely that some Metro stations will be closed near the protest routes, although services themselves usually continue running.
In the big cities most shops will be open, although offices, banks and public administration offices close for the day. In smaller towns, independent shops are likely to close – although many areas hold special markets on May Day.
Demos
Most towns and cities around France are planning demos.
In Paris, the cortège will gather at Place de la Republique and head to Nation, arriving at around 5pm.
In Lyon, the demo will depart at 10am from Place Jean Jaurès, in Nantes it will depart at 10.30am from Nefs, in Strasbourg, protesters will gather at 10am in front of La Poste, Avenue de la Liberté and in Bordeaux, the gathering is 10.30am in Place de la Bourse
In total, there are more than 100 demos planned – find the full list here.
Violence
Violence from small groups of anarchists is not unusual on May Day and this has also been a feature of the most recent pension protests in cities including Paris, Marseille, Rennes and Nantes.
The general advice is to look up protest routes in advance and steer clear of the areas the march will be passing through if you want to avoid the possibility of violence, or tear gas from the police.
There will be a heavy police presence in all of the big cities.
Roads
Road traffic is likely to be heavy on Monday evening as French families return from long weekend trips away.
Flowers
One thing you will certainly notice is stalls selling lily-of-the-valley flowers or muguets – exchanging these flowers is a tradition on May Day that is said to bring luck for the rest of the year. Many trade unions and left-wing organisations set up temporary stalls selling the flowers, in order to raise funds, and you will also find them in supermarkets and florists.
Weather
After a rainy weekend, Météo France is predicting fine weather for Monday, with a mixture of sunshine and cloud and temperatures between 9C and 15C. There is the possibility of thundery showers in the south east, along the Italian border.
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