The student leader behind the protests in France
France faces a complete shutdown on Tuesday when government employees go on strike, other private sector workers hold work stoppages and mass demonstrations are held on the street. They mark the latest climax in the campaign of protest, which has already lasted several weeks, against the government of Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin and its plans to change the employment laws for young people.This campaign is primarily the result of the efforts of one man: student leader Bruno Julliard, who spoke to Radio Netherlands correspondent in France, Frank Renout.
Bruno Julliard,
a student of law in the city of Lyons, is only 25 but has already
managed to disrupt all of France, although it's taken some considerable
effort on his part. He's been working from early morning until deep
into the night. Bruno is the main man behind the demonstrations and
strikes which have held France in their grip for the past few weeks.Raw nerve
Two months ago, the French government came forward with a new kind of employment contract aimed at dealing with unemployment among young people under the age of 26, which includes a trial period of two years during which they can be sacked by their employer at any time and without reason. Bruno Julliard says this touched a raw nerve among a great many students. As he sees it, the new youth labour contract doesn't represent any kind of improvement, in fact it takes away rights from young people: "Why should there be a two-year probationary period for young people, and not for others?"
United front
He began in January this year by mobilising students across the length and breadth of France. Then he went on to phone the country's largest trade unions, and managed to get their support too. The result: for the first time in many years, France has witnessed the creation of a broad coalition - a united front that speaks with one voice in its opposition to the government. Many people have drawn a comparison with the events of May 1968, when France was also plunged into chaos by university blockades and occupations, industrial action and violent street clashes between demonstrators and the riot police. Then, however, the call was for massive social reform, now the students simply want to hold on to the rights enjoyed by their parents, although this doesn't mean that the current generation of young French people is necessarily conservative by nature. Bruno Julliard says the opposite is true:
"We don't agree with current society […] The government of Prime Minister De Villepin is moving in a much too conservative direction, and is actually turning the clock back by cutting the rights of employees. We want progress, and that means improving our rights."
Fault line
He adds that the demonstrators aren't only fighting for their own rights. Many people in France have the feeling that there's a social fault-line running through the country. There are those who are gaining from the economic growth, while others slip ever further behind. Then there is the problem that young people no longer identify at all with the current generation of politicians.
They don't feel represented, and they don't see anyone defending their interests properly. He says this was already reflected by the riots in the suburbs of French towns and cities late in 2005, and can be seen once again in the current student demonstrations. This is why Bruno Julliard believes the battle he's fighting now is the battle of an entire generation.
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