France Student Struggle 2007

Student strikes begin in France November, 6 2007 Students across France are voting to strike to protect their right to an education and to demand improvements. In the last two weeks 48 general assemblies have been held in French universities, 33 of which had more than 100 students and 7 more than 500. The main focus of the students' anger is the Pécresse law (on 'autonomy') which is seen as the first step towards privatisation of universities.* Students also have many other demands mainly relating to increased budgets for universities, more bursaries, more student housing, removal of campus security and amnesties for militants, some of whom are being punished for action during the anti-CPE movement. Students have been voting on a variety of measures, usually strikes, blockades and demonstrations. During the anti-CPE movement many tactics were used, such as flying blockades of roads, railways and airports. As the movement develops we can expect to see these tactics re-emerge. At a coordination meeting attended by representatives from 21 universities and observers from two more an agreement was reached to launch protests on October 30th and November 8th and to attend the teachers' strike on the 20th. They also voted to call AGs at their universities at which they would call for strikes, pickets, blockades and occupations. They also agreed to call on Secondary school students to join them (as they did so effectively during the anti-CPE struggle) and for solidarity with all staff strike actions. The first universties to go on strike were Tolbiac and Rouen: at Tolbiac (Paris I) 100 students are occupying buildings, in Rouen the literature, psychology and sociology buildings have been blockaded since October 30th. 2000 students voted to continue the strike at the last AG, and agreed to hold a demonstration Thursday night. In Toulouse students voted to begin strikes on Tuesday, they have erected barricades to block rooms and buildings, there will be an AG on Thursday to decide if the strike wil continue and to decide on participation in the day of action. Aix, students originally voted for strike action but felt that the AG was not well attended enough for the decision to count. The administration at Aix-Marseille, Toulouse, Grenoble and Paris-Tolbiac decided to close the campuses after students had voted for strike action. This has been taken as an attack on the right to strike, there are pickets and possibly and occupation at Aix. Nantes, October 23rd some 300 students voted to condemn the law and to march to the local town hall in protest. Perpignan, students set up filtered roadblocks on the two main access roads into campus. Tours, la faculté de lettres François Rabelais is closed Lille III, blockade voted for by 300 to 260 Rennes II almost 800 voted today to block the university and to join the demonstration on Thursday at 2.30 that had been called by Rennes I. It has also voted to host a national coordination meeting at the campus this weekend.

Caen hundreds voted to join the strikes. Tolbiac, 300 voted for strikes and pickets at an AG. The occupation was abandoned after a tied vote, although the Richelieu ampitheatre is still occupied, there were scuffles when some geography students tried to re-open it for a lesson. The CRS are preparing outside. Sorbonne, at an AG today 400 voted for a strike and for an occupation. An occupation was begun by around 100 students. Several calls were put out for reinforcements to hold the buildings after an initial CRS attempt to take back the building, apparently the CRS succeeded in taking them back at around 11pm. The strike committee are reporting no arrests and there are plans for a demonstration tomorrow and probably an attempt to retake the building. Lyon, an AG has been called for tomorrow to vote on strike action. Nanterre, an AG has been called for Thursday. (a 1000 strong meeting voted for strikes until the next AG on Monday, with pickets to begin Friday morning and an occupation to begin as soon as students returned from the demonstration at Bastille) *The new law will almost certainly lead to an increase in selection (currently anyone who has a baccalaureat or has worked full-time for three years has the right to enrol). Students also fear that tuition fees will be introdued and that as a result of competition between universities many subjects, especially humanities, will simply disappear. Statement from Perpignan strike committee Statement by Tolbiac strike committee CNT has issued a statement of solidarity with the Sorbonne occupation and other student actions which can be seen here along with statements and communiques by student strike committees. Appel de Toulouse (statement issued by the student occupation) Overview taken from the Nantes student strike blog. - Metz : 50 en AG - Nancy II : 350 en AG - Dijon : 200 en AG - Reims : 500 en AG - Grenoble I, II, III : 300 en AG - Lyon I : 100 en AG - Lyon II : 200 en AG - Lyon III : 25 en AG - Rouen : 1000 en AG et Fac Bloquée - Rennes I : 60 en AG - Rennes II : 450 en AG et fermeture administrative. - Lorient : 50 en AG - Brest : 150 en AG - Bordeaux I : 90 en AG - Bordeaux II :80 en AG - Bordeaux III : 200 en AG - Limoges : 50 en AG - Tours : 200 en AG - Angers : 150 en AG et blocage du Conseil Administratif

- Caen : 300 en AG - Amiens : 300 en AG - Lille I : 250 en AG - Lille III : 300 en AG et blocage le 8 novembre - Paris I : 1000 en AG et Fac fermée - Paris III : 150 en AG - Paris IV : 250 en AG - Paris VI : 100 en AG - Paris VII : 100 en AG - Paris VIII : 350 en AG - Paris X : 300 en AG - Paris XII : 30 en AG - Paris XIII : 65 en AG - Toulouse I : 150 en AG - Toulouse II : 1000 en AG et blocage le 6 novembre - Toulouse III : 100 en AG - Pau : 100 en A - Aix-Marseille : 800 en AG et fac fermée - Montpellier II : 80 en AG - Nîmes : 500 en AG - Perpignan : Fac bloquée Supplementary reading to the above article Saturday November 3, 2007 LET US AMPLIFY THE FIGHT AGAINST THE L.R.U. ! Press release of the student Strike committee (PERPIGNAN) : LET US AMPLIFY THE FIGHT AGAINST THE L.R.U. ! Joined together as a General meeting, the students of Perpignan decided d’amplifier the mobilization against the law ḏautonomy (LRU). After the vote of the strike, it appears that l’arrêt courses remains the most effective means to develop the movement. After Rouen, Aix-Marseilles and Paris I, Perpignan are the 4th university in strike, and will be joined soon by d’autres facs. The rooms were emptied in order to make it possible to all the students to be able to mobilize itself without risk of administrative or teaching sanctions (TD, purses...) Vis-a-vis with an already voted law - in catimini on last 10 August only our determination in the fight will allow the withdrawal of the law. This n’est not the first time that the government tackles ḻuniversity, and each time, c’est a strong mobilization which made it possible to push back the various reforms. So aujourd’hui only a massive movement of l’ensemble of the students will lead to the withdrawal of the LRU. C’est for that that we call the students, the teaching personnel and not-teacher of ḻUniversity of Perpignan to come to join us in the strike. The Strike committee calls all those and those which intend to fight against this law with l’assemblée general of Wednesday November 7 with 10h00 in lecture theater 4. Student strike committee (Perpignan)

Continued commentary - http://greve-perpignan.blogspot.com Strike committee of ḻuniversity of Tolbiac : "Not with the repression of the social movement studying ! " The students of the site Pierre Mendès-France (PMF) of ḻuniversity Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne are in strike since Tuesday October 30, 2007 against privatization of the universities and for ḻabrogation of the law Pecresse known as ḏautonomy which is l’expression like against the law Hortefeux. Friday November 2 the presidency of ḻuniversity made the decision to close administratively and arbitrarily the site of PMF. The purpose of that is d’empêcher the students to meet as a General meeting, bus without these last they are in ḻincapacity to build the movement of strike, puisqu’ils cannot act in concert to organize the mobilization. Thus the presidency posts its will to break the strike by all the means. Moreover it seeks has to divide the students into claiming qu’il s’agit only D one movement minority. However by twice the strike with stakes was voted in General Assemblies (AG) Tuesday October 30 by more than 800 students and was taken back on October 31 by more than 1000 students. It is observed that this strategy of repression of the social movement emanates from the ministry because it was also applied elsewhere in France (Rouen, Aix-Marseilles, Grenoble, Tours...). Face has that, in the morning of Monday November 5 l’ensemble of the mobilized students made the decision collectively to reopen ḻuniversity by their own means. Thereafter a delegation of five people was sent to engage a dialogue with Mr Pierre-Yves Hénin, the president of l’universite of Paris 1 ; with the following mandate : - reopening of PMF without condition and at the usual hours ; - mall ḏinformation on reopening with all the students ; - d’organiser possibility of the debates and projections with outside contributors ; - the behaviour d’AG under good conditions, of which AG interprofessional with the IATOS and the teachers ; - excuses with the personnel of the CROUS not to have ete prevenu closing of the site. The president n’a denié to agree to any the révendications, scorned the delegation, going even jusqu’a to threaten of legal proceedings the actors of the reopening of Tolbiac. In this context it was impossible to us to hold l’Assemblée Générale initially envisaged this Monday with 12h. The legitimacy of our movement s’assoit in l’union of all the forces in action. We thus call with the solidarity of all the students, personnel of the universities and more largely all those which are against the policy of social regression of the government, and let us invite them to join us in the strike. Our freedom d’étudier could not be done within the framework of the law Pécresse. Strike committee of Tolbiac Paris, November 5, 2007 Call Of Toulouse If we are proud of a feature of our character, it is well of our rage against the idea that this world can start again, when well even it would be in a better way : in front of the news " goodwills ", the new fashions, the alternatives, when a Sarkozy speaks to us about " rupture ", there is something in us who, even in the admiration of a new portable telephone, renewable energies, promises of the full employment and one peace on a worldwide scale, cannot retain an access of violence. It is precisely what is lost in the blind will of those which like our time and which want to make a happy world of it at all costs, including a happy world thanks to our " misery ". Ideas like participative democracy, electoral insurrection, ecological revolution, reveal the spirit of hyena which hides in all those which say to us that that will be arranged : essence is each time to show that the situation is changing, or about to change ; or that it could start to change and that the signs around us are to be deciphered in this direction. It is necessary to strike

without reserve those which, in faintness General, make suffering the most stripped of, the new possibilities of happiness. What means the election of Sarkozy, it is the end of the set of themes of the left, of its constant decompositions, the possibility of its victory. The left died and the sarkozism in all its repressive splendour déculpabilise while shouting on the roofs : " the left does not frighten any more anybody, live the rich person, with bottom the poor ! ". For our generation, legitimacy to put its very whole existence concerned against a certain vision of the world was missing hitherto. There were always a law passed in force, a bill or a government scélérat which masked our major desire of a radical change. In the past however, the wars then the social fights had identifiable faces. For example, the proletarian and middle-class terms had a clear direction and Net. To find its camp was like an obviousness. It is this obviousness which at the day the sarkozism gives. All those which are not opposed to it, answer of the sarkozism ! The LCR which condemned violences to the evening of the presidential election. The PS and its rats which leave the ship. The trade unions which can only wait. This is why, we will not let them take in hand the dispute which there ; they do not want to fight, but to only die in peace. The nostalgia of the legitimate claims of the workers, Secu, the firmly organized civils servant, the teachers of the public school does not make any more bandage those which, at the evening of the election of sarkozy, everywhere in France, in the downtown areas as in the districts, affirmed, in their manner of being opposed to it, the very whole life like policy. On the basis of there, we do not have anything any more to say to the capacity ; just to face it. Our force is to be free of any political organization. We do not assert anything, we act. We do not satisfy to gain battles. Let us enter in resistance. To enter in resistance, it is to fight against the ignominie of a Sarkozy, but is especially to make emerge locally points where to share ideas, it is in same time to share practices. The resistant ones of the first hour have only their certainty to hold good. One of enter they is that many will be brought to join them. Occupants of the FAC Toulouse Mirail Topicality of the fights : the universities and the colleges are mobilized against the LRU - the point on mobilization FAC by FAC and the official statements For several years, the privatization of the universities has pointed the end of its nose. Already in 2003, the question of ḻautonomy of the universities had been ḏactuality by the means d’un bill of Luc ferry aiming at the modernization of ḻuniversity ; after weeks of fight, this project was buried then qu’était set up the system LMD (which, under cover European ḏharmonisation of the systems ḏeducation, ratified an inequality of the diplomas) then the law on the research (which submitted research to the private investors). Suppression of "non profitable" dies, break-in of the national framework of the diplomas, massive introduction d’intérêts private into the governorship and the financing of the universities, precarisation of the personnel, tallies sedentary and flicage of the étudiant(e)s... the spectacle follows its course and l’Etat continues the massacre with the law of last 10 August known as " relating to freedoms and responsibilities for the universities ", last stage of the process of liberalization and privatization of l’enseignement higher. Working conditions : all must disappear !

L’article 16 of the Pécresse project stipulates that the universities can require " to profit from responsibilities and competences widened out of budgetary matter and human stock management ". Qu’est what that does mean ? The freezing of creations of stations and the not-replacement of a starting number in retirements announced for re-entry 2008 precede the financial disengagement of l’Etat as for the wage bill. That will encourage the president of ḻuniversity to only recruit and according to its goodwill always more personnel precarious on own resources. C’est consequently the door open to ḻinstitutionnalisation of the precarious contracts (for one given or unspecified duration) without any statutory guarantee for the administrative staffs, technical, of library, d’enseignement or of research. Wages to be negotiated, premiums with the merit, flexibility, competition, working conditions to the reduction, d’objectifs definition and evaluation of the results... ḻuniversity becomes a company subjected to goodwill few people, facilitating d’autant the copinage and other abuses already in progress. Lease to be yielded, occasion to be seized ! The report is clear, ḻuniversity n’a of means (buildings except standards, shouting lack of buildings and materials...) and n’est, since many years already, not financed more enough by l’Etat with the height of its needs. In order to mitigate the fall of annual budgets already largely insufficient, the choice will be left with ḻuniversity become owner of the buildings. But which will finance installations and repairs ? For lack of means, ḻuniversity must seek new fashions of financing. A good share of the financings will come then from l’investissement d’entreprises private. It is not any doubt qu’elles have more vocation to release from the profit qu’à to make charity. C’est for that qu’elles will then choose to finance the dies or university research considered to be useful and profitable (when the others n’auront that the thin sums of money of l’Etat to survive), imposing of the trainings specific to their own needs. S’en will then follow a double competition between facs friquées and facs dustbins, profitable dies and the others. Another reason for fear, the rise in the expenses d’inscription which will still reinforce social ḻinegality in ḻaccessibility being studied higher, obliging always more d’étudiants to work to finance their studies. Always more democracy... the bureaucracy remains, the lords change Concerning ḻadministration of the universities, the record of liberal ḻideology appear again. Without currently guaranteeing the democracy (known as " representative" delegating the powers to a minority making the decisions for tou(te)s) such qu’elle s’exerce with ḻuniversity, one can only s’opposer with the installation d’un Conseil worthy ḏAdministration d’un CA d’entreprise with at its head a " president manager ". Because roughly speaking, c’est him it boss ! Having already authority on l’ensemble university community, this new " president manager " could be about n’importe which but especially an owner. Its mission, s’il accepts... to distribute the crumbs that l’Etat will condescend to continue to pour with ḻuniversity, to propose its dies with highest offerer and to unroll the red carpet in MEDEF. With the head d’un new very powerful CA, he will be only a Master on board as regards creation or suppression of dies or research project, of management of l’attribution and the distribution of the appropriations. Not very profitable teachers, personnel, students, dies, aucuns will not be from now on with l’abri of the total hand put of employers on university operation. Financing with ḻevaluation of the lesson, the university course passes under the control of the law of the market. L’éducation, a market like the others ? Coupled to a private financing from now on essential with the survival of the "autonomous " universities, the choice of the dies d’études from now on will be governed by the rules of the market and will be judged according to two criteria : rate professional d’insertion and profitability. That will accentuate the inequalities between the students and competition for research d’un employment. The reform insists thus on l’objectif of professionalisation of the studies through ḻaugmentation of the relations with the local socio-economic basin. Are thus institutionalized the seizure of the companies on the exempted lesson, the reduction even the disappearance of dies (quid of the social sciences in this process ?) as well as the break-in of the national character of the diplomas by their regionalization and their comparison with the local contexts. This preoccupation with a profitability will also pass by the marketing of the knowledge. With the installation of the

Poles of Search for l’Enseignement Higher (NEAR) financed at the same time by l’Etat and the private companies, research is seen subordinate to immediate and profitable results for the investors. Public research at the thank you of the logic of the market is sacrificed on l’autel profitability. This so-called " autonomy " indeed announcing the privatization of l’enseignement higher, no FAC will n’échappera with the selection. Beyond the question of ḻautonomy of the universities, one thus assists finally without reacting too much for l’instant to the final questioning of the principle and the goal of the university formation. Ḻuniversity s’est transformed little by little into a great center of formatting at the labour market and consumption of knowledge. We are not any more in one logic of public utility d’enseignement but in a total financial logic where l’enseignement must bring either a human value added to the company but of l’argent... and as soon as possible. Ḻuniversity must become again a d’échange place, a place where l’on forges a critical knowledge, where l’on acquires knowledge and capacities of reflexion. France: some updates on student strikes November, 10 2007 Updates and reports from AG, blockades and strikes across France. This update is not comprehensive but it has most of the available information, additionally some universities are still on holiday and therefore no action can take place. Aix-en-Provence, the AG at the litterature campus, held yesterday, voted to continue the strike and the blockade until the next AG on Tuesday (465 for, 250 against) (09/11/07) Videos from the Sorbonne and Tolbiac: Tuesday 6th, a student talks about the administration's decision to close the campus once a blockade had been voted on. Tolbiac: An interview with a student involved in a three hour occupation of the university president's offices. He also gives a report on the AG which voted to continue the blockade until Tuesday 13th. Opinions of students against the blockades. Brest: Victor Segalen campus, 300 students voted for a strike with no blockade with the next AG to take place Monday. Caen: 1000 voted on Thursday to continue the strike. An AG of 200 voted to continue the occupation. Dijon, occupation of a room for a student local, AG on the 19th. Grenoble voted to adopt the protest platform, to blockade CAs, to occupy an ampitheatre as a local and to block the university during demonstrations. Le Havre, strike motion voted for by 530 against 270, blockademotion defeated 450 to 300. Lille I: AG attended by over 1600 people. A majority voted to continue the strike, the vote to continue the blockade was won by only 10 votes. A vote to make anyone wishing to vote show a student ID card was lost by a single vote, but it seems that it will be implemented after the attack at Clignancourt. (During the CPE movement right-wing groups carried out sevral attacks on protesters.1 2 3) This measure has ben criticised by many, especially as many AG have voted motions in favour of sans-facs (who are denied enrolment) Limoges: blockade begun on Thursday Lorient AG of 150 students voted for a filtered barricade.

Lyon I strike committee only managed to get 50 peope to the AG, this wasn't enough to vote. Lyon II AG attended by 500, majority vote in favour of strike action. Metz, at an AG attended by 650 people a strike was voted for almost unanimously, although the vote for a blockade was so close that it was decided to delay mounting the blockade until the next meeting in the hopes of getting a better majority Montpellier II blockades begun on Thursday Montpellier: science departments voted for strikes on wednesday, literatue on thursday. No blockades voted for at initial votes although there are reports that they began on Friday. Nancy: A close vote called for a blockade Nantes: the buildings have been re-occupied after the CRS had forced out the occupiers on Wednesday. 1500 voted to relaunch the occupation and this time some 200 students were effectively barricaded in the buildings, the CRS decided not to try to retake the buildings. Journalists were excluded from the AG for complying with Sarkozy. Paris IV: -Clignancourt campus: two students armed with CS gas and a piece of wood tried to attack the AG. A gas bomb was thrown into the AG affecting many of the participants, when they saw the size of the AG the two would be attackers decided not to stay and fight and were allowed to leave. The AG continued. -Tolbiac: the strike continues and students appear to have re-occupied the buildings. It was also voted to allow people in the area in bad housing to live in the buildings. Next vote to take place Monday. Paris VIII 500 voted for strikes but not for blockades. Pau: over 1000 students voted for a strike and a blockade until the next AG on Monday. Perpignan, action began October 31st. There is a strike, blockades and occupation, most recent AG voted 618 to 321 to continue. Rennes: at Rennes II 2000 attended an AG which voted to continue the strike. Rennes I 300 voted for a strike without a blockade, this vote came after a filtered barricade had previously been voted for) Rouen: first university to vote for strike action, October 25th. Ags of 900 and 700-1000 have voted to continue the action. Delegations have been voted to form solidarity links with other strikers and a motion calling on teaching staff to join the strike was also passed. Toulouse: 2000 at AG on Mirail campus, blockades and strike action votes passed. Rangueil campus has voted for strike action. Demonstrations: Rennes 2500 Toulouse 1500 Lille 1000 Aix Marseille 900 Rouen 800 Caen 600 Paris 600

Lyon 500 Nancy 200-300 Updates from Nanterre November 12th, 2007 Some of today's events at Nanterre The day began badly with the university authorities calling the police. Around 100 Gendarmes were used to break the blockade, tear gas and batons were used on the picketers. There were no arrests, the police satisfying themselves with hitting a few people, although there do not appear to have been any serious injuries. The Assemblée générale was very heated with a large group of pro-Sarkozy spoilers who made very aggressive statments and tried to drown out other speakers. The student branch of the UMP (Sarkozy's party) tried to mobilise its members to vote against the strike. The division between faculties was shown when teachers from the law department ordered students to leave lessons early to go and vote against strike action. The AG voted on four motions: To demand the repeal of the law on university autonomy. To march upon the administration building in protest at the use of police To join the demonstrations on Wednesday. To continue the strike and blockades. The first three were passed resoundingly, the final one was agreed with a majority vote of 900 for and 500 against. The strike committee meeting was held later on in the afternoon. At the beginning there were some 250 students this increased to about 350 over the course of the meeting with few leaving until towards the end. In total around 450 students attended part of the meeting. Several militants addressed the meeting, giving information on other universities, reading out the false press releases put out by the administration and suggesting action. There were several speakers from the floor as well. After about an hour and a half the meeting was ended, five commissions were proposed: press, leaflets, pickets, internal actions and external actions. A space was designated for each commission and students then joined whichever commission they wanted. The press releases from the university administration claimed that the police were called as a preventative measure after two picketers viciously assaulted a staff member. According to comrades who were present there was a bit of a scuffle with a security guard who wanted to stop two people from blocking a door. No one was hurt and the incident was over in seconds. The administration also claimed that picketers had blockaded the entire building when in fact, as is standard practise, they had blockaded all of the entrances except for one, this entrance could be used by staff who needed to go in and out for administrative reasons. The press releases also made the fraudulent claims that large numbers of rail-workers had packed the previous AG (there was one delegate there) and that students were a minority in the movement which is patently false. The need to act immediately to take the buildings was very strongly expressed by most of the speakers. Nanterre is a suburb of Paris and dependent on the public transport system, with a transport strike due to begin the blockade risks being isolated so many argued for an immediate occupation of the university buildings to

send a clear message while it was still possible to do so. The need to spread the struggle was another prominent theme with many talking of solidarity actions with other workers, specifically occupying stations to support rail workers. The need to organise actions outside of the university, especially once the transport strikes cut the university off, was very apparent leading to many proposals of action in Paris. One student from the law faculty got up and thanked those present for voting for the strike, saying that most of the law students were against it and she was glad that they hadn't been allowed to break the strike. One of the speakers called for a vote at the next meeting for a strike to last until the repeal of the law as had been done earlier in the day at Rennes II. He argued that there was a risk that either the UMP/law students could succeed in packing out a meeting while militants were diverted by police or engaged in actions elsewhere and win an anti-strike vote, or that they could hold their own AG and vote through anti-blockade measures. This measure did not seem to win wide approval. Anti-strike posters that had been found were also passed around the meeting. France: Student strikes and blockades to continue November 19th, 2007 Today will be an important day for the student movement with Police and university authorities ending most occupations before the weekend. Today will be a return to struggle, or in some cases a beginning. The first blockade of Paris VIII began today at 7am. Many universities will be holding AGs this week to decide whether to continue the movement, which up until now has continued to grow. A full report has not been issued publicly by the national coordination meeting held in Tours over the weekend, although its contents will be made available at AGs and comités de mobilisation (strike comittees) over the next couple of days. One of the issues discussed was the need to ensure that the movement continues to grow within universities, encouraging new students to join protests rather than expecting CPE veterans to win the strike for them. Students from lycées in Perpignan, Paris and Nantes have mounted protests and there are reports of strikes. In Lyon the occupied campus is holding a coordination meeting today for school students wishing to organise AGs and strikes. France: Schoolchildren join student and teacher strikes November 20th, 2007 Across the country secondary school students are voting to join strikes in support of university students and the wider struggle. Tomorrow many of France's teachers will go on strike as part of a wider civil service action. Some universities have seen staff vote on further solidarity action with students. Although not widely reported school students are joining the student strikes, although this is often dismissed as children wanting to avoid school, which it may be in some cases, there is no doubt that there are political motivations. The pupils recognise that they are the students of tomorrow and they also come out very strongly against the immigration policies of Sarkozy's government. Policies that have politicised children as police set up checkpoints outside schools and check documents and arrest sans-papiers as they come to collect their children

and grandchildren. Even before the strikes many schools were organising solidarity actions with pupils and families threatened with deportation. In Normandy four lycées in and around Caen are confirmed to have begun strikes: Jean Rostand and Augustin Fresnel in Caen, Salvador Allende at Hérouville-Saint-Clair and Louis Liard at Falaise. Pupils at many other lycées in the region are voting on strikes and blockades. Where AGs vote against action many are still planning to attend demonstrations today (Tuesday) and the national demonstrations on November 22nd called by the student strike committee. In Paris lycées Jean Jaures, Montreuil, Monet, Rodin, Paul Bert and Montaigne have all voted for strike action for today with the first two having been blockaded for over a week by students in spite of police repression. Pupils from Henri IV , Louis le grand , Lamartine and other schools will meet tomorrow to join the demonstrations even if the schools are not blockaded. Near La Rochelle the independent maritime CEPMO lycée voted massively in favour of two days of strike action to allow students to attend demonstrations with an AG on Thursday morning to vote on a continuation. According to the CNT education section (FTE) the education ministry has written to local education authorities telling them to hire strike breakers to run a minimum service and to use community facilities if school buildings are not available. According to reports on Indymedia 41 universities are partly or completely on strike and blockaded: Paris I (Tolbiac), Paris III, Paris IV (Clignancourt and La Sorbonne), Paris VII, Paris VIII Saint Denis, Paris X Nanterre, Paris XIII Villetaneuse, Rouen, Tours, Caen, Nantes, Rennes II, Toulouse II le Mirail, Toulouse III Rangueil, Pau, Perpignan, Aix-Marseille I (both Aix and Marseille campuses), Lyon II, Montpellier II, Montpellier III, Lille III, Limoges, Brest, Le Havre, Bordeaux I, Bordeaux II, Bordeaux III, Amiens, Angers, Metz, Nancy II, La Rochelle, Dijon, Grenoble III, Orléans, Reims, Saint Etienne, Valenciennes, Poitiers, Arras. Paris VII university, which recently joined the strike is beginning to organise solidarity actions with workers from the nearby gare d'Austerlitz. With rail-workers and students attending each others' AGs, at the last ones students voted 60% in favour of continued action rail-workers 100%. Homeless support action is also taking place in the area. At La Sorbonne some 150 people attacked the blockades injuring several of those on the blockades and causing damage to the buildings and furniture. A member of the teaching staff has been accused of inciting, leading and physically participating in these attacks, including asaulting striking students. Unsurprisingly riot police chose not to intervene during these attacks, the attackers then announced unilaterally that an AG would be held tomorrow. The strike committee has announced that the blockade will continue as had been democratically decided. The largest teaching union Snesup, called on members to hold AGs on Monday to decide upon solidarity strike action. Teachers were already due to go on strike Today. Some institutions have already held votes with teachers voting to strike in solidarity with students. France: university strikes and occupations against the LRU continue November 28th, 2007 Students across France have been voting on the next step in the ongoing struggle against the so-called reforms of the LRU law.

On Monday the government announced a 50% increase in university budgets over the next five years and also vowed to spend 11M on student housing. Today (Tuesday) some 2000 people, mostly schoolchildren marched from Republique to Tolbiac, behind the banner 'Pas de négociation sans abrogation' (no negotiation before the law is withdrawn). Some 20 lycées are blocked in Paris, with Paris I, II, III, IV and VII universities also blocked. Paris X (Nanterre) also voted overwhelmingly at an AG with over 1000 present to continue strike action until next Monday and to begin an occupation. A motion of solidarity with the rioters in Villiers-le-Bel and six other areas and condemning police action was passed, albeit narrowly with many abstentions. Paris VIII university is hosting a day long conference against the LRU and designed to coordinate resistance on Saturday, it is unclear whether the university is currently blockaded. Rennes II: in a disturbing development the President of the University called on teachers to 'dislodge' those on the blockades, apparently using the phrase "we'll retake the buildings one by one". Most teachers refused any part of it, a small number, helped by some students attacked the blockades, throwing chairs and punches. Indymedia is reporting numerous injuries, even the mainstream press admits three. This open incitation to violence, officially addressed to teachers but aimed at students is a very dangerous development. Lille I and II both voted to continue strike action until December 3rd with Lille II voting to continue until December 2nd. Teachers at Lille I also voted to continue solidarity strike action. With university presidents demanding secret ballots and internet votes in the hope of gaining victory it is good to note that the internet vote at Lille II, although very close, was still won. Students have set up a program of conferences, debates, workshops self-defence lessons and film screenings for the following days. 3-4000 students and schoolchildren marched in Lille where at least three lycées are blockaded, with a further three in the nearby town of Amiens. Caen at last three lycées Malherbe, Victor Lépine and Rostand saw occupations forcibly ended by police. At least 12 other lycées in the area are either entirely blockaded or organised blockades to go on demonstrations. They have also organised joint actions with striking students who are running a series of events at the occupied campus. Rouen, an AG voted yesterday to continue the blockade and there was a celebration to mark the one month anniversary of the beginning of the blockade. This morning at least four lycées were blockaded (Sembat, Bruyères, Saint-Saens, Jeanne d'Arc). A march of students and schoolchildren was blockaded by police with many forced to submit to identity checks and have their photographs taken. Toulouse, the Mirail campus has been closed administratively with the university president denouncing a violent anti-democratic attack. The statement was unusally vague about those responsible, suggesting, that like all of the confirmed violence so far, it was actually carried out by right-wing students. At least 12 lycées in the region are blockaded with a further four definitely blockaded in Toulouse where a 2000 strong march took place. In a neighbouring town four lycées were blockaded and 800 schoolchildren marched. Grenoble, some 1500 schoolchildren and students marched through the town, blocking roads and calling on those still in lessons to join them, mostly unsuccesfully. A vote to continue the blockade was won later in the afternoon. Poitiers, the university and at least one lycée are blockaded. There are also plans to block seven strategic road junctions in the town from 6am tomorrow. Montpellier II the blockade has ended but the strike continues, Montpellier II remains closed administratively.

Reims: university blockaded until Wednesday, with a sit-in today by students and schoolchildren outside the education authority. Perpignan, university still blockaded with a 600-strong march through the town today. In Brittany the authorities are claiming only three or four lycées are blockaded, although in nearby Nantes 12 are certainly blockaded. In Bordeaux up to 2000 marchers took to the streets, there were between 850 and 2000 in Lyon and 800 in St Etienne where there were unsuccesful attempts to blockade the train station. Brief report on the assemblée générale of students at Nanterre university 27/11/07 November 28th, 2007 A brief account of the results of the meeting, attended by at least 1000 students. The first motion was that strike committees and coordination with workers and other students were the favoured step and were necessary to win. It refused all attempts to negotiate before the law is withdrawn. and denounced the UNEF for trying to do so. This was passed by such a massive majority that there was no count. The second motion was in solidarity with rioters in Villiers-le-Bel and neighbouring areas and condemning police for the deaths of the two boys killed on Saturday. 123 against, 266 abstentions 280 for. Many simply did not vote on this motion. Third motion. Calling for AGs by teaching and other staff. Recognising that only the combined forces of the university community can hope to defeat the combined forces of the state. Passed with a massive majority; those voting against, abstaining or making a non-vote all numbered less than 10. Fourth motion. originally the motion was for a blockade until next Monday, but many students booed. They then offered two votes, one on the blockade itself and one on the date, this was met with applause. Revised fourth motion for strike action was passed masssively (estimate 900-200) at this point at least 30 students left. Fifth motion: strike to last until Monday 11 am 445; withdrawal of law 85; 11am tomorrow 134. Both abstentions and non-votes were less than ten each. after this vote many students began to leave. The sixth motion was for an occupation to begin immediately, this vote was passed easily. At this point more students were leaving and those on the stage called on students to remain and participate. Many of those leaving were looking for materials for barricades which they began setting up immediately. France: repression of the student movement intensifies November 30th, 2007

Student demonstrations and occupations are finding themselves the targets of violence organised or incited by the authorities. In Grenoble today students of the IEPG (Institute of political studies) were setting up the blockade they had voted for. The director of the IEPG, Olivier Ihl, threatened to set dogs on them, although the dogs were reluctant. He then started to pull down the barriers and finally took a large piece of metal and struck a student at least twice with it, all the while screaming at students that he'd have them expelled. Shortly after this attack Police called by Ihl charged the students using truncheons and shields to force them back after he made a formal complaint of assault. Video footage here from about 8:40 in. At the campus of Grenoble II university the President, Alain Spalanzani, lied about the result of the AG and sent an email declaring that the blockade had been lifted. By presenting those on the blockades as having defied an AG he deliberately placed them at great risk, furthermore by opening a side door he allowed many non-strikers to enter the building, again trying to provoke confrontation. The police and gendarmes were then sent in against the students, striking and gassing strikers and non-strikers alike. One policeman was heard to shout at a student "You won't shout so much with broken teeth" before hitting him in the face with a baton. One student was hospitalised after a severe asthma attack caused by gas, with several students suffering broken fingers and other injuries in the rush to get away from the indiscriminate police attacks. In Caen yesterday 6 demonstrators were arrested and three hospitalised after police attacked a peaceful occupation of the education authority, once students and schoolchildren had been forced out using tear gas and baton blows they were then fired upon in the streets using 'flashballs' (a gun firing heavy rubber bullets) a 16 year-old-boy was struck in the face and is likely to lose his eye. Back at the campus police from the BAC (plainclothes Anti-criminality brigade) threatened to arrest a student but seeing other students coming out of the building decided to make a swift retreat. As a result of these actions the AG at Nantes yesterday voted to call for the dissolution of the BACs widely seen as a more sinister although slightly more discriminating version of the CRS. At Paris VII yesterday some 80 CRS forced the blockades, although few students and teachers entered, an AG was called to condemn the intruson of police on the campus. A student then stole the helmet of a CRS riot policeman, he was thrown to the floor and handcuffed but other students forced back the CRS and succeeded in destroying the handcuffs and freeing the prisoner. Near the Censier campus in Paris an 86 year-old man was arrested after shooting at a student, who was fixing a banner to the university wall some five metres up, with an air rifle. Students at the campus claim that far-right slogans and symbols have been painted all over the campus and surrounding area in recent days. In Lyon on Wednesday night the CRS were sent in to end the occupation after complaints were made that some 50 students stole 5 trollies worth of food from a local supermarket chain. Arrests were made, it is unclear how many. And at Nanterre Campus yesterday a student involved with the blockades was attacked by a group of four rightwingers at around 10:30pm. In more positive news Marne la Vallée, a university not known for militancy, began a blockade today after students voted for a blockade and strikes yesterday and over 150 lycées are now blockaded. France: Students demonstrate in Paris November 30th, 2007

Some 3000 school and university students marched through the streets of Paris today to show their continuing opposition to the LRU The march began at the PRG campus (Paris VII) on the South side of the Seine, the march then made its way past the gare d'Austerlitz and finally ended at the place de la Bastille where Police blocked off the exits. The marchers blocked the road as they marched although police had already sealed off side roads with Gendarmes in full riot gear with tear gas grenade launchers displayed prominently. The exception was the block from Nanterre, some 100 students went to the gare de Lyon after the strike committee meeting on campus and took to the streets to meet up with the main body of the march blocking roads as they went. When the rest of the marchers saw the Nanterre block a massive cheer went up. Tolbiac University also had a large group of marchers behind a banner. There were some students from Paris VIII with a red flag, but not marching as a block. The marchers rapidly began to mingle with each other sharing jokes stories and chanting. One of the favourite chants was "Pécresse eh ah on fait sauter ta loi" Pécresse we'll get rid of your law, sauter can also mean to jump or to blow up. There were about 30 students from the STAPS department (sports studies) at Nanterre many of whom had stenciled t-shirts for the march. Marne la Vallée, a university not known for militancy, began a blockade today after students voted for a blockade and strikes yesterday.

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