‘Nuit Debout’ – standing up for change (share-international.org)
May 2016 (Share International magazine)
A new movement is rapidly sweeping France as protesters occupy French cities calling for change. Roughly translated ‘nuit debout’ means ‘night standing’ or ‘rise up at night’ and was initially a social-media-driven protest movement against labour law reforms that make it easier for employers to sack workers. However, after the first week, now vast nightly gatherings of people of all ages and backgrounds began to occupy large public spaces in more than 30 cities in France. The new citizen-led movement is being compared to the Occupy Movement or Spain’s Indignados.
It began on 31 March 2016 with a night-time sit-in in Paris after the latest street demonstrations by students and unions critical of President François Hollande’s proposed changes to labour laws. But the movement and its radical nocturnal action had been dreamed up months earlier at a Paris meeting of leftwing activists. “There were about 300 or 400 of us at a public meeting in February and we were wondering how can we really scare the government? We had an idea: at the next big street protest, we simply wouldn’t go home,” said Michel, 60, a former delivery driver. “On 31 March, at the time of the labour law protests, that’s what happened. There was torrential rain, but still everyone came back here to the square. Then at 9pm, the rain stopped and we stayed. We came back the next day and as we keep coming back every night, it has scared the government because it’s impossible to define. There’s something here that I’ve never seen before in France – all these people converge here each night of their own accord to talk and debate ideas – from housing to the universal wages, refugees, any topic they like. No one has told them to, no unions are pushing them on – they’re coming of their own accord.”
As night falls over Paris, thousands of people sit cross-legged in public spaces, taking turns to pass round a microphone and denounce everything from the dominance of Google to tax evasion or inequality on housing estates. The debating continues into the early hours of the morning. It has expanded to address a host of different grievances, including the state of emergency and security crackdown in response to last year’s terrorist attacks.
“The labour law was the final straw,” said Matthiew, 35, who was retraining to be a teacher after 10 years in the private sector, and had set up an impromptu revolutionary singing group at the square. “But it’s much bigger than that. This government, which is supposed to be socialist, has come up with a raft of things I don’t agree with, while failing to deal with the real problems like unemployment, climate change and a society heading for disaster.”
Jocelyn, 26, a former medical student acting as a press spokesman for the movement, said: “There are parallels with Occupy and Indignados. The idea is to let everyone speak out. People are really sick and tired and that feeling has been building for years…. Personally, it’s the state of emergency, the new surveillance laws, the changes to the justice system and the security crackdown.”
Various committees have sprung up to debate a new constitution, society, work, and how to occupy the square with more permanent wooden structures on a nightly basis. Whiteboards list the evening’s discussions and activities – from debates on economics to media training for the demonstrators. “No hatred, no arms, no violence,” was the credo described by the “action committee”. “This must be a perfect mini-society,” a member of the gardening committee told the crowd. A poetry committee has been set up to document and create the movement’s slogans. “Every movement needs its artistic and literary element,” said the poet who proposed it.
“Generation revolution”, was scrawled on the pavement. The concept behind the movement is a “convergence of struggles” with no one leader. There are no union banners or flags of specific groups decorating the protest in the square – a rarity in France. No issue is “off agenda”; social problems such as labour laws, inequality, injustice, climate change, the refugee crisis, racism and more are all debated through the night.
Cécile, 22, a Paris law student at Thursday night’s general assembly, said: “I don’t agree with the state society is in today. To me, politics feels broken. This movement appeals in terms of citizen action. I come here after class and I intend to keep coming back. I hope it lasts.”
(Source: theguardian.com; ibtimes.co.uk; liberation.fr; a Share International correspondent attending Nuit Debout gatherings.)
