France: May 1st in the era of Covid-19

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It is a May 1 like no other which is preparing: a May 1 in full pandemic. No question, however, not to mark Labor Day. The President of the Republic decided, despite the confinement, to maintain the traditional ceremony of handing over lily of the valley, but in small groups. Adaptation also in the rest of the political class.

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He will be there at dawn. To celebrate the workers, Fabien Roussel, secretary general of the Communist Party (PC), distributes sprigs of thrush early this Friday morning to the nursing staff of the Salpêtrière hospital where many Covid-19 patients are treated. Confinement requires, only a virtual sale of thrush could be organized by the Communist Party this year.

On the side of France Insoumise (LFI), we once again put on social networks to be heard. Launch of a call to film yourself typing on a pan, on May 1st, then online demonstration planned for the end of the afternoon with a virtual slogan: "never again".

"Virtual", the watchword also of the National Rally (RN) of Marine Le Pen. Marine Le Pen who gives an appointment to her supporters on her Facebook page at the end of the morning for a special program devoted to the health crisis. The opportunity - more than celebrating workers - to attack government management of the pandemic once again.

A little earlier, Marine Le Pen will have laid a wreath in front of one of the Joan of Arc statues in Paris a few hundred meters from her father, Jean-Marie Le Pen.

Activists on the balcony or online

For the first time since the Second World War, unions and their processions will not parade this Friday in the streets of the big cities of France to celebrate Labor Day or bring their demands. And even if some activists are determined to be seen and heard, this May 1, 2020 promises to be very special.

In 50 years, Marc had never missed a single May Day parade. Giving it up is a real heartbreak for this retiree from the banking sector, still unionized at the CGT.

“  It is also a confinement of speech. It is a situation that I experience with difficulty because I am used to intervening in the public arena, and there I have no right. I'm in a very small village so I can't see myself shouting at the window all by myself, but if I were in Paris, yes, I would do something on my balcony.  "

On the balconies, with slogans or pans, union activists are called to make their voices heard this Friday. Less noisy, but just as visible, the online solution with social networks or so, this new virtual demonstration platform: Manif.app. Without registering, the user can create an avatar, an anonymous duplicate, and scroll it anywhere on a map.

"  It is visible to everyone and therefore you all decide to put yourself in a certain place, - Place de la République or somewhere  - and in fact all the avatars appear on the map at the given place. You can also put a slogan. So, there is a small box where you can enter a slogan and this slogan appears above the avatar. Randomly it appears, it gives a certain dynamic,  “says Antoine Schmitt, designer of the project.

Very real, but just as astonishing, the demonstration alone. Option chosen by the departmental secretary of Force Ouvrière (FO) in Loir-et-Cher. Eric Gondy has planned his sign, his slogans, but he will be alone on the Place de la République in Blois. The real one, of course.

■ A demonstration on social networks

The trade unions do not admit defeat and they compete for invention. Yvan Ricordeau, national secretary of the CFDT, despite the confinement, offers an event on social networks, to say the least original.

We will ask each worker to take a symbol from a puzzle piece and mark a message on what he thinks about the world of work in 2020 in a period of confinement to send it on social networks.

Yvan Ricordeau, national secretary of the CFDT

Agnieszka Kumor

■ Lily of the valley, a lucky charm with a limited taste

In France, the tradition of lily of the valley this May 1st, Labor Day, will have to adapt to the obligation of confinement, to the chagrin of florists and horticulturalists. They will be able to deliver thrush or sell it if it has been previously ordered, but they will be idling. Usually, sixty million strands of these little bell flowers are sold in France. This represents a turnover of 7 million euros for florists. In this context, producers are struggling to sell their production. This is partly the case of this horticulturalist from the Nantes region, epicenter of lily of the valley in France.

We are going to sell about 70% of our harvest. The florists were not present ...

Éric Harrouet, horticulturalist

Ariane Gaffuri

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