five demonstrators tell us why they marched for May Day in Paris

The appointment was given. One week to the day after the re-election of Emmanuel Macron as head of the country, tens of thousands of people marched through France for the traditional May Day demonstration. In Paris, they were 21,000 to have responded to the call of the inter-union and various collectives, according to a count of the firm Occurence. Within the Parisian procession, Franceinfo questioned five demonstrators on their state of mind in this very political period, between the presidential election and the legislative elections of June 12 and 19.

Sarah, 23: “I am doubly precarious”

On the Place de la République, Sarah, a 23-year-old student, listens with a distracted ear to the leader of La France insoumise, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who spoke before the parade. “I hadn’t planned to vote for him, but in the end, that’s what I did in the first round”, she confides. I even drove an hour and a half for it!” A motivation that turned into “huge disappointment” on the evening of the first round.

“It is super important for me to demonstrate, because I am a student and a worker, I am doubly precarious”, says the young woman, alternating in communication. If she thinks “rather doing well”, Sarah remains worried about future students. “I fear that we are coming to a completely privatized education system, where it will take even more diplomas to hope to get a job.”

Georgette, 65: “We are part of the upper working class”

In the midst of a hundred “yellow vests” activists massed at the head of the procession, Georgette, 65, repeats around her that she was “forced to come and demonstrate”. “I have 1,000 euros pension, how do you want to live with that?” ask the one who passed “all his life in the restaurant business”. Her husband would love to retire, but that could put the couple in financial distress. “We are part of the upper working classquips Georgette. We earn little, but enough to pay taxes, and that’s heavy.”

Disappointed by the presidential candidates, she reluctantly voted for Emmanuel Macron in the second round. “But the battle continues in the street, we will continue our actions hoping to be heard.” On his shoulders, a worn, faded yellow vest testifies to his commitment. “I haven’t taken it off since I put it on, she remembers, it was November 17, 2018″. Either at the beginning of this protest movement, “far from over”, wants to believe Georgette.

Thomas, 50 years old: “We are afraid for our daughters”

Somewhere between the activists of the Solidaires union and the collectives of undocumented workers, Thomas, 50, “finds its marks”. “I did a lot of 1st May when I was young, but it was a while anyway”, he laughs. For the occasion, this entertainment worker came with his partner, Isabelle, and their two daughters, aged 10 and 13. “We are afraid for them”, blows the couple, who judges the policy of Emmanuel Macron “far too liberal”.

Neither Thomas nor Isabelle wanted to vote in the second round. “But we had planned to demonstrate”, says the 50-year-old graphic designer. “We have the impression of moving towards a system that ejects the weakest, that’s what we are marching against”, abounds Thomas.

Magguy, 66: “Emmanuel Macron must learn from the crises”

Coming with her husband and her granddaughter, Magguy stands out somewhat in the procession. “I voted for Emmanuel Macron in 2017, and again in 2022, in both rounds”tells the story of this 66-year-old cultural facilitator, based in the Paris region. “I think we were too hard on him, he is still young and had to face exceptional events, such as the pandemic.”

But when asked about the balance sheet of the re-elected president, Magguy wishes to bring nuances. “I am West Indian and I find that the government is not really interested in this part of France, she denounces. This is why we saw an important vote for Marine Le Pen overseas. A disavowal which also applies to Emmanuel Macron’s policy on education and health. “A country that pushes its caregivers into the street is a country that is going badly”slice the one who hopes that the President of the Republic will know “Learning from these crises” for his second term.

Pablo, 28 years old: “I stress for social achievements”

For Pablo, this May 1st will remain a “big first”. “We got motivated with friends, and it’s good to see all that”, says the young man, pointing to the various movements present in the procession. After working in the restaurant business, Pablo reoriented himself “right during the Covid-19 crisis”. He now evolves in the public service, where he is a researcher. “I moved to show the government that there are people in front and to demand more public funding.” At the center of its concerns: the protection of national solidarity. “I stress about social gains. And it’s not because I’m young that I can’t defend my right to retirement”, he smiled.