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. . Matter in Motion through Space and Time ... http://www.egroups.com/group/Communist-Internet ] [Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ] . . ----- Original Message ----- From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Tuesday, April 30, 2002 3:35 AM Subject: [kominform2] France: Paris set for confrontational May Day From: "Stasi" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Peoples War] France: Paris set for confrontational May Day Paris set for confrontational May Day ========================== Financial Times; Apr 29, 2002 By JO JOHNSON Three thousand riot police will be on duty in Paris this Wednesday as France steels itself for what promises to be the most confrontational May Day in a generation. Presidential candidate Jean-Marie Le Pen and 50,000-100,000 National Front supporters plan to march through Paris to lay wreaths at the equestrian statue of Joan of Arc near the Louvre. As Mr Le Pen finishes paying the far right's traditional tribute to the 15th-century heroine at around midday, an even larger anti-fascist rally will start marching in the opposite direction, moving from the Place de la Republique to the Bastille. By staggering start-times and keeping the two groups firmly to their symbolic itineraries, police hope to avoid bloodshed. But pessimists remind each other of February 6 1934, when fascist riots in the Place de la Concorde left 15 dead and hundreds injured. Building sites have been warned to remove all bricks and scaffolding poles from easy reach of any angry mob. The largely peaceful anti-Le Pen demonstrations that took place across France over the weekend served as an encouraging dress rehearsal for May Day. The involvement of more than 200,000 people testified to the growing mobilisation of the French electorate ahead of Sunday's second round of voting. In Paris, 45,000 people massed at the Bastille on Saturday, many waving banners saying "We are all the children of immigrants" and "Nazis, Go home". Some remain uneasy about the numbers of people seeking catharsis on the streets when the ballot box remains available. A high proportion of those expected to demonstrate will either be those who failed to vote in the first round or schoolchildren not yet entitled to vote. Lionel Jospin is reported to have urged his ministers not to demonstrate on May 1. "It's not your role," he said at his last cabinet meeting as premier. Many of them will ignore the advice. Analysts see Sunday's vote as being in effect a referendum on Mr Le Pen that potentially offers France the chance to restore some international prestige and self-respect. On Friday, Mr Jospin, after much public criticism, finally added his voice to those calling for a massive anti-Le Pen vote. But his bitterness at Mr Chirac's part in last Sunday's defeat is evident: unlike many on the left, Mr Jospin could not bring himself to mention Mr Chirac by name. The French opinion pollster CSA published a survey on Saturday that gave Mr Le Pen 19 per cent and Mr Chirac 81 per cent. But many pollsters still feel uncomfortable predicting Mr Le Pen's eventual vote. In Saturday's Le Monde, Mr Le Pen said: "I am aiming more at between 40 and 51 per cent, and closer to 51 than 40." See Comment & Analysis _________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki Phone +358-40-7177941 Fax +358-9-7591081 http://www.kominf.pp.fi General class struggle news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Geopolitical news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Katsauksia suomeksi: [EMAIL PROTECTED] __________________________________________________ ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~--> Buy Stock for $4 and no minimums. FREE Money 2002. http://us.click.yahoo.com/k6cvND/n97DAA/ySSFAA/VL0olB/TM ---------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Peruuta ryhmän tilaus lähettämällä sähköpostia osoitteeseen: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ --------------------------- ANTI-NATO INFORMATION LIST ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: archive@jab.org EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.a9617B Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================