News

There have been massive trade union demonstrations in France and Belgium over the last three weeks. The media and public attention have been focused on unacceptable physical violence that occurred during these demonstrations. People who saw the news coverage of a police officer having to jump out of his burning car and another being attacked from behind were rightly appalled by such behaviour. But what will be done to prevent it from happening again? The Belgian trade union FGTB has condemned the violence and excluded its member who hit the police officer. The French trade unions and police forces have strengthened security measures with increased manpower. I clearly support these necessary measures – but will they be enough to prevent violence from occurring again?

Violence linked to demonstrations undermines the demonstration’s aim and the thousands of peaceful marchers. It also undermines the progressive aim of changing our society. There should be an internal culture in trade unions and civil society organisations of unequivocal rejection of violence. Unfortunately I still hear arguments that violence is understandable when people are victims of austerity measures or worsening working conditions. There are ways to achieve progress through nonviolence, as seen with the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that ended segregation in schools and ensured the right to vote for African-Americans in the United States. As Martin Luther King said, “we adopt the means of nonviolence because our end is a community at peace with itself.”

Violence, whether inside or outside the confines of a demonstration, undermines our own rights, including the right to demonstrate; this happened just last week in Rennes where a demonstration was not authorised based on the public authorities’ expectation that there would be violent participants.

Because violence threatens our aims for social justice and our right to demonstrate, it has to be addressed effectively by the agents of change: trade unions and civil society organisations. We cannot turn a blind eye simply because those involved belong to other organisations and not our own. The fact that it happens at all impacts us – that’s why we all need to join together to commit to lasting change.

Let’s engage!

Pierre Baussand, Director