After a new night of curfew in some French cities, to prevent a recurrence of the violence witnessed last weekend, Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu, on Wednesday, will receive union representatives to discuss ensuring the security of the demonstrations and responding to the demands of the students who sparked the protests.
While the government searches for a settlement that will get the country out of this crisis, it is primarily determined to reimpose order.
A curfew was imposed for the second night in a row in some areas, such as the city center of Marseille (southeast), starting at 20:00 GMT, Tuesday, until at least Friday, while it was decided to impose a night curfew in the city center of Toulouse (southwest) from Thursday until Sunday.
In the heart of the capital, Paris, an unusual calm prevailed on Tuesday evening in the vicinity of the “Forum de Halle” commercial complex. The police and gendarmerie deployed in large numbers asked passers-by to leave the place, while a helicopter was flying over the site.
In light of these conditions, on Wednesday morning, Lecornu received representatives of the five major unions representing the protesters: the French Democratic Confederation of Labor (CFDT), the General Confederation of Labor (CGT), the Workforce (Force Ouvrier), the French Confederation of Christian Workers (CFTC), and the General Confederation of Cadres (CFO-CGC).
During the meeting, “ways and means to guarantee the necessary freedom of demonstration” will be discussed, which “some are trying to undermine by linking it to unacceptable actions,” according to a letter sent by Locorno to the organizers of the movements.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez will also attend the meeting, while new demonstrations are scheduled to be held on Saturday at the invitation of the “yellow vest” movement and student movements, and then on November 5 at the invitation of the unions.
Lack of student representation
The French Democratic Confederation of Labor and the General Confederation of Labor regretted the absence of student organizations from the meeting, during which Lecorno intends to discuss a “response” to the demands of high school students related to class schedules, the restoration of dilapidated school buildings, the appointment of replacements for absent teachers, and the reform of the “Parcour Sub” platform for enrolling in higher education, which faces severe criticism.
Locorno promised the students to make “first announcements” “early next week” that will be presented to Parliament during the next budget debate.
The General Confederation of Labor demanded the participation of student representatives in the meeting, while the French Democratic Confederation of Labor warned that “it is not possible to talk only about organizing mobilization” on November 5, or to receive - only - “a lesson in the sense of responsibility” about the acts of looting and vandalism that it denounced.
The first French union said in an announcement to Agence France-Presse that “purchasing power, which represents the priority of employees and customers, must be addressed with urgency,” stressing that “youth organizations are absent from this meeting, while the issue of responding to their demands is on the agenda.”
The “Defending Rights” Commission, which is specifically charged with ensuring that security forces respect professional ethics, announced on Tuesday that it had received 46 referrals since the start of the student protests, including “more than 10” related to incidents that took place over the weekend.
Locorno promised that he would not only discuss the issue of maintaining public order; Rather, he will provide a “very precise presentation” on the budget, “the issue of purchasing power” and fuel prices, which are recording a sharp rise, and he will also present “ideas” that may be adopted “at the end of the budget discussion” in December.
The unions are awaiting practical answers to their demands, which were overwhelmed by the chaos of October 17th.
“The importance of taking to the street”
On the security level, unions confirm their ability to protect demonstrators.
The head of the French Democratic Confederation of Labor, Cyril Chabanier, said: “In our convoys, we succeed in preventing intrusions, including by Black Bloc groups, but we cannot control people in the nearby streets who come down to carry out acts of sabotage.”
He stressed “the importance of taking to the streets” on November 5.
On Thursday, Locorno will receive the political parties, to discuss the “difficulties” witnessed on the mobilization day last week, touch on “ensuring the security” of the presidential election campaign, and ask his interlocutors to “denounce violence,” according to what was stated in a letter addressed to the parties.
Of the 557 people who were placed in pretrial detention after the violence and looting in Paris, and 300 people have so far appeared before the judges, none of them declared “any political motive whatsoever,” according to what the French capital’s public prosecutor, Laure Picot, said at a time when the government accuses the extreme left of inciting acts of violence.
A United Nations report released today (Wednesday) showed that global warming is now expected to exceed previous estimates, with the most optimistic forecasts predicting that average temperatures will rise to between 1.7 and 1.8 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels by mid-century.
The report expects global temperature to rise by 2.8 degrees Celsius by 2100 under current policies, or 2.6 degrees Celsius if countries fully implement their current climate commitments. Both estimates are higher than last year's forecast, a reflection of the US withdrawal from the Paris Agreement and revised assessments of historical emissions.
Despite the rapid expansion of renewable energy and climate policies that are working to reduce emissions in many countries, the report said that “urgent and aggressive” reductions are needed to achieve the best possible results, according to the “Reuters” news agency.
The UNEP report says greenhouse gas emissions must fall 18 percent below 2025 levels by 2030, 45 percent by 2035, and 69 percent by 2040. Current national plans limit emissions to reduce emissions by only 5 to 8 percent by 2030, and 11 to 15 percent by 2035.
As countries prepare for the next round of climate talks in Turkey, the 31st Conference of the Parties on Climate Change (COP31), UN Secretary-General António Guterres said it is essential not to abandon efforts to curb emissions that fuel floods, fires and other natural disasters.
He added: “Exceeding limits does not mean surrender. “We can still keep this overshoot to the narrowest and shortest possible range, and return temperatures to below 1.5 degrees Celsius by the end of the century.”
Countries agreed under the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement to try to keep the average temperature increase well below 2 degrees, ideally 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Considering that limiting the temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius, while not exceeding this threshold or exceeding it to a limited extent, is no longer possible, the United Nations Environment Program stated that its new possibility, which represents the “lowest possible exceedance,” provides an approximately 50 percent chance of temperatures returning to the level of 1.5 degrees Celsius or lower by 2100.
The report said that climate plans presented since last year had made almost no difference to future global warming projections, and that a return to 1.5°C would depend on widespread decarbonisation, which is uncertain.
