The CGT wants to extend the refinery strike movement to other sectors. On the political level, the left opposition hopes to take advantage of this climate.
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Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who is at the origin of the “March against expensive living”, scheduled for Sunday October 16 with the rest of the Nupes, does not hide it: the rebellious leader hopes to reap the fruits in the street of this dissatisfaction with the government. The watchwords of the event have also evolved: it is no longer just a question of defending purchasing power, but also public services or even demanding a tax on the exceptional profits of large groups.
But the CGT does not call for the demonstration on Sunday. The union is still as suspicious of the activism of the Insoumis, and Philippe Martinez of the bulimia of Jean-Luc Mélenchon. He sometimes criticizes him for mixing genres and disguising his partisan activism under union attire. In short, their relationship is not looking good. Moreover, when Philippe Martinez mentions his desire to extend strike movements to other sectors, such as power stations or the RATP, or on the occasion of an interprofessional strike day, he says he wants “generalize the strike”which is not calling for a “general strike”.
Politicians do not have the same caution: the Green MP Sandrine Rousseau dreamed on Wednesday October 12 of a “general strike” and his rebellious colleague, Clémentine Autain, proclaimed on Thursday: “The hour of the showdown with the government has arrived!” One more clue that within the Nupes, it is the most radical who lead the dance.
For Jean-Luc Mélenchon, Sunday’s demonstration is therefore an important test, especially at a time when his leadership on the left has been shaken by his repeated support for Adrien Quatennens. The rebellious leader hopes to close the ranks of the Nupes around him. Carried away by his revolutionary momentum, he even likened this march to that which had brought Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette from Versailles to Paris in October 1789. The problem is that he has already done it. In the fall of 2017, Jean-Luc Mélenchon predicted a “anti-Macron surge” in the street. The following year, a “popular tide”. In 2019, another “tsunami”… Each time, the wave became a ripple and the tide quickly ebbed.