We will not go so far as to say that the May 1 demonstration in Paris was confidential. But for those used to the Place de la République-Place de la Nation route, the mobilization this Wednesday may have seemed at least “reduced”. The sound systems may have spit out “We’re not giving up” and other “Motivated”, the demonstrators may have shouted loudly, but the asphalt sometimes seemed sparse for what is usually the big annual meeting of social demands.
If the police counted 18,000 demonstrators, the unions counted 50,000. Far from the 550,000 claimed for the same occasion in 2023. “We have to be careful of the distorting mirror. The latest mobilizations were quite exceptional,” warns Clémentine Autain, LFI MP for Seine-Saint-Denis to explain the impression of demobilization.
According to the elected official, the scale of the demonstrations against the pension reform was such that a simple “return to normal” could be seen as running out of steam: “The anger and mobilization against the country and ten years of liberal laws are still present among the French. »
All the same annoyed, some union spokespersons try to highlight the date, this year “located between several bridges and public holidays”, the weather which places Paris on “orange alert for virulent storms”. But everyone ends up admitting that the streets of Paris sound a little hollow after the big demonstrations of 2023.
“The European elections are of little interest”
“The European elections are of little interest,” explains Bernard, who walks with the CGT convoy, “even the position of favorite of the RN no longer shocks. » Same story for Nathalie Hocdé, executive member of the CFDT Île-de-France. According to her, Europe is struggling to interest employees: “For many, the European Union is only a problem, it is difficult to explain that no, on the contrary, it can be a solution. » The position of the RN? “A sensitive subject in many companies. »
Even the situation in Gaza, omnipresent in the Parisian procession, was not enough to fill the ranks. “The question of Palestine has always been present in social demonstrations. But it’s true that today, it is central,” says Sarah in the middle of the Palestinian flags on Republic Square. Her friend Raquel, however, tempers: “The thing is that the Palestinians’ supporters are already people who usually mobilize for other issues, so they are not extra people in the procession, or quite a few. »
A valid remark for the defenders of Ukraine or the anti-Olympics, more visible than in previous years, undoubtedly a question of proportion more than of numbers, with the exception of the very lively procession of Kanaks who came to demand the cancellation of the thaw of the electorate in New Caledonia.
Baton violence intimidates
Among those present today, several also confess that the government has succeeded in instilling a certain fear in the minds of potential people registered for today’s march. Hadrien, 26 years old and an executive in computer engineering, admits to having been “let go” by friends who feared clashes with the police: “By dint of throwing tear gas in the middle of the crowd and hitting randomly like that, we tell ourselves that we could end up in a coma or with one eye missing even if we do nothing and try to stay away. Obviously, it ends up intimidating. » A few minutes after his words, the first clashes between demonstrators and CRS broke out at the head of the procession.
And the baton blows are not the only ones to have hurt social mobilization. The 49.3 of the Elisabeth Borne government are still on everyone’s minds. “I understand those who become discouraged despite exceptional demonstrations, fights, debates, they hear nothing and pass everything by force. Even I, who have been an activist since I was 14, sometimes I ask myself what’s the point? », exasperates Tina, 27, in front of a flag of young communists.
“There are big fights ahead”
According to Hervé, fifty-two years of activism, perhaps society has reached a point of no return. “As long as there is hope, people fight in solidarity. But when you know it’s all over, it’s everyone for their own sake. »
The fact remains that for the vast majority of protesters interviewed, including Clémentine Autain, the situation is only a simple break after the great efforts of 2023. Martin, 37, prefers to see the sea receding before a tsunami: “C t’s the calm before the storm. There are big fights to come with the new unemployment and labor reforms, not to mention the next RN scores. We will come back very, very strong. It is necessary and certain. »