Hi Eline, what’s the atmosphere there?
“Actually, you should smell what I’m smelling right now. It smells like all kinds of typical French sausages, which they sell in the stalls here. Now they put Merguez and andouillettes in, the song that has also been used a lot by the yellow vests.
‘The French are good at creating an atmosphere for demonstrations, but I can clearly see that we are here with the unions. Last weekend I was at a demonstration of all that is left France: Extinction Rebellion, radical feminists, anti-capitalists. There was a happier atmosphere there.’
Over the past year, inflation in France was 5.5 percent, almost three times lower than in the Netherlands. How does that figure reconcile with the anger of the unions?
“The French government has done a lot to compensate households, actually before the invasion of Ukraine began. Last autumn they already started with a maximum price on gas and energy. That has made a difference for many households. A lot of money is still being allocated to curb inflation.
“But that doesn’t mean there isn’t inflation, and people do feel it. Inflation is part of a discussion that has been going on here for much longer: the high cost of living.
Moreover, today’s demonstration was actually fueled by the successful protests against the oil companies in recent weeks. TotalEnergies distributed 2.6 billion euros in dividend to shareholders during those demonstrations. The French say: those kinds of companies are making huge profits from the energy crisis and we are not sharing in that. In addition to inflation compensation, they also want a share of the profits of those companies.’
Is there any connection between this demonstration and the yellow vest movement? Do you see people in yellow vests at all?
‘Not today. I saw some of them on Sunday when I was at the demonstration organized by an alliance of left-wing parties. Today much more has a union stamp. Most of the people who wear a vest wear a red vest from the union. So there is no connection with the yellow vest movement.’
Why are the French so eager to take to the streets?
“Every time I’m here at strikes, I get the sense that it’s a form of meaning for the French. France is a very political country. A lot of people want to say to Macron in this way: we don’t let everything happen. But at the same time it is also an event to get together. There are book and sausage stalls everywhere. I myself joke that the French concept of ‘fraternité’, brotherhood, is also expressed somewhat during those protests. There is a kind of connection on the street, everyone finds each other.
‘At the same time, the union is also working very hard. In the Netherlands there is poldering, here the culture is a bit more conflicting. I think that also has to do with the hierarchical structure of society and business. It is still very strong in France.
“And there’s another reason the French are on strike,” a retiree who was playing petanque just told me. He suspected that if the French did not take to the streets regularly, the country would have been a dictatorship long ago. In other words, for many French people taking to the streets is also the way to keep pressure on the government.’