Mitterrand under

Mreris in protest agains! the sovermment.

The present turmoil in Paris has echoes of 1968 ead oof )6 the «= student demas rations of 1973.

Bur there is a difference, The student demunod op by the fascin ‘oom> i apolitical or ¥ students who sympathise with ihe left are mot on the streets, The other groups are mainly middle class, and they are protesting against a left wing government. Why have events reached this stage? Why does the might wing have the inoi aqua answer ne ie growing unpopularity of Mitterrand'’s austerity meusures, and the to these of the lerrand are the problems There is op doubt that t Mitcerramd soviet has achieved some successes in the field of social reform, The retiremeni has deen lowered to aed the stacutory heals day for workers has bern creed bo five weeks ceermiment spending.

ithout effective control over the major monoPolies, and without effec live price comtrol, this has to a massive boss of ‘business confidence and a | fight of capital.

Tt has meant desiabl isation of the france on the iInlennabional money markets. The result has been the need to ineroduce deflationary austerity mbeasures hike higher tases wid @ tough attitede to vrikers along with wage restraint. Unemployment sill keeps going up.

the Conumunist federations. how Lhe nig wing has launched a tig mobilisatian of the enraged small business people and students. The passivi ty of the left plays ino their hanals THE CRS riot police are fighting students in the Latin Quarter again. There are strikes in the hospiials, Many different groups march in the Among the students, ihe intialives of the ight Wing are most striking The reform. of the wniverS10) SOnaisaon sysiem proposed bey educalicn miner Savery sieme ee ae Lhe sooo aL Poteet Mee Maeve BT, anid capitalism to empl apse ie number of graduates being turned! out, Protest Both right wing sand left wing stwikent unions toerk Che pn The Secailist and Comimunist Party students organised only a small token protest. The siduation, has echoes of the his when the fascists in the ‘Latin Quarter demonstrated againg the Popular Front govern.

meni, Tr also has masty parallels with Chile under Allende, when the Students at the Catholic Liniversity were able to link up with: the copper miners, int a reactionary inebalasaticn naeinal Allende, iiipured by the Fascists, Mav [983-041 mot turn into a May "68 in reverse. The huge majority of the Freech workers are not about tobe mobilised by the chee middle class fascists from the lew faculties. But the situation Hg dire warning for the i Important Te seize the political initiative from the right it if not enough by ‘defend the existing povernment, li is only be coswring that ihe interests of the working class are chamFioned. by the left, if necessary against the SPCF government, can the offensive of the right wing and the bosies be checked,

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Siraleons are ae feu we 4. Caalt_and and sa! eee

— left wing parties and oie The problema of Miz

ey by all left wing ct ens who tae their plans senioust

Sj ported ae avert. an by the main trade pe

bape the donpeoirbis But iativeto me lise pretest