William Molinié / Photo credit: LOIC VENANCE / AFP 06:52, April 27, 2023
Faced with a mobilization announced as exceptional on Monday, May 1, the intelligence is particularly worried. Between 80,000 and 100,000 people are expected at Place de la République in Paris, according to initial forecasts. And between 2,500 and 5,000 radicalized individuals could seek to fight according to a memo that Europe 1 has obtained.In four days, the unions and some of the French will march in tight ranks to say no to the pension reform and express their anger. It will be a "historic" and "vengeful" May 1, says the Parisian intelligence in a note that Europe 1 was able to consult. The protest movement, violent, will be present in a state of mind "determined and offensive". 200 to 400 ultra-left activists, including foreigners, 100 to 200 radicalized yellow vests are to be expected. The intelligence also fears that young people from working-class neighborhoods will infiltrate the radical nebula.
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A new stage in the protest?
A common front that Parisian intelligence observed, he says, only very rarely during the Fifth Republic. This day could announce a new stage in the protest that now goes beyond the sole issue of pensions. It also targets the functioning of democracy since on 3rd May next, the Constitutional Council is due to give its opinion on the second referendum of shared initiative.
The security device has not yet been revealed, but it will be substantial. The police headquarters will again have to count on the presence of a dozen observers from the League of Human Rights, on the lookout for the slightest police action, who will not hesitate to present as illegitimate.
Air traffic is also expected to be very disrupted on Monday, May 1 due to the participation of controllers in the strike movement against the pension reform. Between 25 and 33% of flights are cancelled at the largest French airports.