France: Mass protests against the 'Loi du Travail'

Away with the 'War on Terror" and Police-State measures!

On the 31st of March around 1 million people went onto the streets of many cities throughout France to protest against the concept text of the 'loi du travail', a law aimed against the organized labor movement. This law is better known under the name 'loi-el-Khomri', named after the Minister of Labor; miss Myrian El Komri. This actionday was characterized mostly by a number of strikes in the transportsector; among others at the railroads and Air France, as well as the public sector. There is a deeply rooted and widespread anger amongst the working masses against the continued attacks of the government aimed at the destruction of all social achievements, which have been realized after years of hard struggle by the labor movement.

Vast numbers of students and college scholars took part in these protest (like they did before, during other mass rallies) that in some cities were twice as big as on the first day of action (the 9th of march). All over the country the forces of 'law and (dis)order' used teargas, watercannons, horses and - mostly - brute violence against the youths. In Marseille and elsewhere the cops attacked youths, who did not immediately spread out after the protest was ended; the clouds of teargas were so dense that people situated on nearby café-terrasses had to flee.  In Lyon protesting students were attacked by fascists, who were covered by CRS-cops. In Rouen a considerable number of transport workers, supported by other workers, supported the students when they were attacked by the cops with teargas. The intervention forced the cops to retreat.

The controversial bill is the most recent in a series of hard anti-Union laws, that were forced through by the Socialist Party (Parti Socialiste). The government Vals/Hollande acts with an unprecedented ruthlessness in order to repress any form of resistance from the working class. In Januari of this year, eight CGT-militants were arrested because of their role in a militant resistance against the closure of the Goodyear factory in Amiens. They were convicted to nine months in prison. Five workers of Air France are confronted with sentences of three years, after two Air France bosses literaly were stripped of their clothing during a militant strikers protest in Octobre last year.


The attacks on the organized labor movement must be seen in the context of the 'state of emergency' (l ‘état d’urgence), that the PS-government declared last November after the terrorist attacks in Paris, and which has been extended to half May. Since then the cops performed thousands of searches (without a court order), mainly in areas where mostly muslims live. Hundreds of people got a house arrest, among them many activists from the autonomous scene who had called for a protest at the Climate Top in Paris (last year December). Grandscale searchoperations allow the cops to save all telephone calls.  

Valls, Hollande: Hands of the organized labor movement!

Away with the El Khomri-law!

We demand the immediate withdrawal of all charges against the workers militants of Goodyear and Air France as well as against all arrested protestors of the last weeks!