Demonstrations Against

Macron’s Policies

 
 

Vocabulary

united	organizer	to advocate
activist	trade (2)	trade union
reform	overhaul	make ends meet
destroy	grievance	go through (2)
damage	stuff (2)	groundswell
disrupt	union (2)	distribution
detain	spot (3)	significantly
hurt	mobilize	for the most part
policy	show (2)	balanced (2)
brutal	prevent	demonstrate (2)
favor	opposition	first and foremost
anti-	take part	distribution of wealth
hope	pension	draw/drawn/drawn (2)
claim	sideline	take to the streets

 
 

 
 

Video: Protests Against Macron

 
 
 
 

Transcript

They came from more than eighty different organizations, united by opposition to Emmanuel Macron.

For the organizer, the CGT Trade Union, the main grievance is the government-led overhaul of labor rules. The union said the reforms would reduce worker protections.

Philippe Martinez, CGT Union Leader: “What most citizens in this country go through, meaning difficulties making ends meet, finding work, getting a spot at university, paying into their pensions, Mr. Macron doesn’t know about that stuff. That’s not his life.”

In Paris, authorities mobilized more than fifteen-hundred (1,500) police officers to prevent activists from disrupting the protest and causing damage.

Several people were detained on the sidelines, including a group trying to destroy a bank.

But the march itself for the most part was peaceful.

The trade unions say Macron’s reforms will hurt public services and see his economic policies as brutal and unbalanced.

Protesters from other groups also took part. They all see Macron’s policies as favoring the rich.

Protester One: “We have to show Macron that people don’t want his policies; they are first and foremost for the wealthy, and there’s nothing for the poor.

This is serious.”

Protester Two: “We’ve mobilized against Macron’s policies to advocate for a different distribution of wealth.

Today our government is at the services of the rich.”

Recent anti-Macron protests have drawn huge numbers: in March more than three-hundred thousand (300,000) demonstrated nationwide.

Organizers had hoped the protests would grow into a groundswell of opposition to Macron. But this time around, it was significantly lower. Only some twenty-thousand (20,000) people took to the streets of Paris, according to police.

Organizers claim it was four times that.

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Questions

1. All the demonstrators (protesters) are members of CGT Trade Union. True or false?

2. What was their main grievance? Why were people protesting (demonstrating)?

3. “What most citizens in this country go through, meaning difficulties making ends meet, finding work, getting a spot at university, paying into their pensions, Mr. Macron doesn’t know about that stuff. That’s not his life.”

What does this mean or imply?

4. “Several people were detained in the sidelines, including a group trying to destroy a bank.” Why was the group trying to destroy a bank?

5. The protest turned violent; there was widespread damage and destruction. Is this right or wrong?

6. Do the demonstrators think Macron is fair, just, impartial and unbiased? What did one protester advocate or want?

7. What are the organizers short, medium and long term goals?

 
 

A. Do you sympathize with the demonstrators, do you support Macron’s reforms, both, neither or in the middle? What do your friends and colleagues think?

B. Is everyone in your country involved or concerned about political (and social and economic) developments, or they don’t care or it depends on the individual?

C. Different demographic groups (age groups, occupations, socio-economic classes, educational level, and ethnic and racial groups) have different opinions, attitudes and agendas. What do you think?

D. What will happen in the future?

E. What should the government do? What should ordinary citizens do?