By now everyone has heard that various sectors of France’s working class are, once again, on strike, and that there have been several large-scale demonstrations and other smaller-scale but perhaps more effective strike actions for the last six weeks. The last week or so has witnessed a series of headlines screaming that “The French Strikes Escalate,” or “French Strikes Turn Violent,” or “France Paralyzed.” Such headlines are of course designed to sell newspapers, but also to sway public opinion. This latter is evident in many responses to the French strikes on various blogs and in the comment sections of articles in major media websites outside of France, which have tended to trade on popular stereotypes—aka misconceptions—about the French, their right to strike, and that horribly dangerous political formation known as “European socialism.” So what’s really going on? What’s at stake in this battle, and why do all French, not just the working class (72% of those polled support or strongly support the actions, according to the latest data) so strongly believe that this battle is worth fighting?
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