France in the Streets

Paris

"Nowadays, when there is a strike in France, no one notices." Nicolas Sarkozy could not repress a self-satisfied snarl when he uttered those words at a meeting of his conservative party six months ago. But following a one-day general strike and huge street demonstrations across the country in January, the French president was far less ebullient, merely stating that he understood the "legitimate concerns" of his fellow citizens.

To be sure, Sarko can rely on a strong majority and a weak opposition. And he claims to be doing his utmost to withstand the tidal wave coming from Wall Street; he thundered against the excesses of capitalism and ordered bankers to forgo bonuses if they want to benefit from a stimulus package. But he could not fail to notice that while most slogans of the January 29 marches were about bread-and-butter issues ("Billions for health and education, not for speculation!"), a few were clearly aimed at the resident of the Élysée Palace. "Hey Sarko, can you see this strike?" teachers walking in Paris shouted. Others sang, in English, "Sarko! No you can't! Yes we can!"

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