The current wave of mass protest in France at root against the impact of neo-liberal Government policies but with a clear focus on education, deserve our publicity.
Gregor Gall writing in The Herald argues that the conservatism of the British trade union movement doesn’t help, compared to the French which however is organised differently along political lines. He also suggests that the attraction of the Labour Party when led by Jeremy Corbyn and now the Greens led by Zack Polanski hoovered up activists into the detail of party organisation and indoor meetings rather than street protest.
There are however other points. Firstly the violence of the protests, where this occurs (always guaranteed to get media coverage) is largely dictated by the reality that the French State is more authoritarian than the British with a more brutal police force. This may seem odd to those who have faced the Met on demos and the British State is working hard to catch up but it is a reality.
One context for this is the nature of some of the very large protests. The socialist historian E P Thompson noting that the British left was different to others in Europe argued this was because there ‘so bloody much to oppose’, meaning British imperialism. Indeed in 2026 Britain is still at it, arming Israel’s genocide. Of course the French left also has record of opposing imperialism perhaps particularly on Algeria
The reaction sometimes has been impressive. The largest march in UK history against the Iraq War in February 2003 saw well over a million on the streets. Since 2023 there have been numerous very large marches in support of the Palestinians. Of course such marches take place in other countries too. The difference is that Britain was the imperial power and London was at the centre of it. Numbers on the streets in the Capital are noticed around the world.
There is nothing to say that the protests in France can spark something here, even allowing for the constraints which Gregor Gall identifies. Solidarity with Palestine in particular is a mass grass roots movement and the mood of resistance can spread
account of French events on 17th October
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