Signs of a French Spring

A wave of strikes and a student revolt has shaken France in recent days — but can it provide the first real challenge to Macron’s agenda?

Rail workers from the Force Ouvrière union on strike in Paris today. FranceInfo


It’s not just the railroads.

From college campuses to supermarkets and airport terminals, unrest is simmering across France. Against the backdrop of the national public railway strike — a highly symbolic struggle that, by all indications, promises to be long and intense — students and workers in other sectors are taking actions of their own.

This isn’t the first significant unrest under President Emmanuel Macron — his labor reforms last year were opposed by strikes and days of action — but the current wave is broader in scope. A weekend strike at France’s largest employer, supermarket Carrefour, was followed by strikes on the trains and at airports at the start of this week that have severely impacted transport in the country — and now a burgeoning student movement is joining in support.

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