French Strikes Escalate as Sarkozy Remains Defiant

„France's escalating conflict over pension reform entered money time on Tuesday, as opponents of the measure staged the sixth wave of demonstrations in as many weeks. But even as officials of President Nicolas Sarkozy's conservative government claimed the protests were weakening, violent clashes between police and students suggested that elements of the movement appear to be radicalizing. With the contested bill slated for final legislative passage by the end of the week — and unions set to meet on Wednesday to decide what steps they'll take next — it remained unclear whether opposition to the widely unpopular reform would ratchet up for a seventh straight week or begin to peter out, as Sarkozy and his backers hope.

Demonstrators staged nearly 270 marches across France on Tuesday, coinciding with strikes that forced the cancellation of 30% to 50% of flights at Paris-area airports, cut rail traffic to roughly 50% of normal levels and disrupted commuter and municipal transport in major French cities, from Toulouse to Lille by way of Lyon. As corteges set off in French cities in the early afternoon, union officials estimated that nearly 3 million people had joined nationwide marches on Oct. 12 and 16. Prime Minister François Fillon countered this by saying falling numbers of protesters were proof that the movement was »starting to fade«. He also demonstrated the defiant attitude he and Sarkozy share by refusing to negotiate changes to their reform bill and denying union claims of big turnouts to its protests. »It never achieved significant progress, and it never drew more than a million people to the streets«, Fillon told conservative parliamentarians. »However, it is radicalizing«.”