In France, the May 1968 crisis escalates as a general strike spreads to factories and industries across the country, shutting down newspaper distribution, air transport, and two major railroads. By the end of the month, millions of workers were on strike, and France seemed to be on the brink of radical leftist revolution.
After the Algerian crisis of the l950s, France entered a period of stability in the 1960s. The French empire was abolished, the economy improved, and President Charles de Gaulle was a popular ruler. Discontent lay just beneath the surface, however, especially among young students, who were critical of France's outdated university system and the scarcity of employment opportunity for university graduates. Sporadic student demonstrations for education reform began in 1968, and on May 3 a protest at the Sorbonne (the most celebrated college of the University of Paris) was broken up by police. Several hundred students were arrested and dozens were injured.
In the aftermath of the incident, courses at the Sorbonne were suspended, and students took to the streets of the Latin Quarter (the university district of Paris) to continue their protests. On May 6, battles between the police and students in the Latin Quarter led to hundreds of injuries. On the night of May 10, students set up barricades and rioted in the Latin Quarter. Nearly 400 people were hospitalized, more than half of them police. Leftist students began calling for radical economic and political change in France, and union leaders planned strikes in support of the students. In an effort to defuse the crisis by returning the students to school, Prime Minister Georges Pompidou announced that the Sorbonne would be reopened on May 13.
On that day, students occupied the Sorbonne buildings, converting it into a commune, and striking workers and students protested in the Paris streets. During the next few days, the unrest spread to other French universities, and labor strikes rolled across the country, eventually involving several million workers and paralyzing France. On the evening of May 24, the worst fighting of the May crisis occurred in Paris. Revolutionary students temporarily seized the Bourse (Paris Stock Exchange), raised a communist red flag over the building, and then tried to set it on fire. One policeman was killed in the night's violence.
During the next few days, Prime Minister Pompidou negotiated with union leaders, making a number of concessions, but failed to end the strike. Radical students openly called for revolution but lost the support of mainstream communist and trade union leaders, who feared that they, like the Gaullist establishment, would be swept away in a revolution led by anarchists and Trotskyites. On May 30, President de Gaulle went on the radio and announced that he was dissolving the National Assembly and calling national elections. He appealed for law and order and implied that he would use military force to return order to France if necessary. Loyal Gaullists and middle-class citizens rallied around him, and the labor strikes were gradually abandoned. Student protests continued until June 12, when they were banned. Two days later, the students were evicted from the Sorbonne.
In the two rounds of voting on June 23 and 30, the Gaullists won a commanding majority in the National Assembly. In the aftermath of the May events, de Gaulle's government made a series of concessions to the protesting groups, including higher wages and improved working conditions for workers, and passed a major education reform bill intended to modernize higher education. After 11 years of rule, Charles de Gaulle resigned the presidency in 1969 and was succeeded by Pompidou. He died the next year just before his 80th birthday.
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'Windfall' for Penang trishaw riders
After demanding financial aid of RM60 a month from the state government, trishaw riders in Penang have been offered RM100 - albeit with a condition attached.
Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng(left) said he has directed Danny Law Heng Kian, the state executive councillor for tourism, to bump up the amount, after the riders had rejected the initial offer of RM100 every two months.
However, the payment will only be made if the riders participate fully in the George Town Car-free Day every Sunday from 7am to 5pm in designated streets, Lim said.
Lim said the state government had worked with the Penang Municipal Council three months ago, to establish Car-free Day on Sundays from Dec 11.
No motorised vehicles will be allowed in the specified zones, only bicycles and trishaws.
"This will assist trishaw riders in drawing an additional source of income," Lim said in a statement today.
"To ensure that only genuine trishaw riders benefit, the state government will propose that they must register with the Penang Tourism Department.”
Tipped as the first such green initiative in the country, Car-free Day is intended to reduce the carbon footprint, as well as to boost the earnings of low-income groups like trishaw riders.
Bonus payment
Yesterday, the Penang Trishaw Riders Association had demanded RM60 a month in aid.
In response, the state postponed the handing over of aid to the riders, which had been scheduled for earlier today.
Lim said the trishaw riders must be stationed at the allotted gathering point for a specified period of time to qualify for financial aid.
The state government will disburse RM20 per rider each week, with a RM20 bonus for attendance for every Car-free Day for the month.
"This will ensure that there are trishaws in the allotted areas for tourists and that genuine trishaw riders benefit (from the scheme)," he added.
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Many are still talking about the march to Parliament and the waste of it all when the BN MPs are adamant in passing the PAB 2011.
Things are done for a reason. To ensure that there will be no bloody protest in Selangor when UMNO rather BN grab Selangor. And that my friend is what they are up to, of course with the Royal approval. Five Billionaires are putting their money behind the grab. They are Vincent Tan Abdullah, Francis Yeoh, Daim, Ananda and Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhari in exchange they get the land, projects, toll, oil and gas worth RM600 billion in Penang, Johor, Kuala Lumpur, Selangor and Sabah. With a little bit of luck even Sarawak. Oh, yes. Sarawak, Taib biggest asset. Since the last election in Sarawak, the five billionaires have worked overtime and the coming months would be very, very interesting and worth every sweat for UMNO to take over from Taib.
Furthermore, Najib has allowed students to be involved in politic. This is done so that the students who will become instant millionaires, will revolt against the Selangor State Government.
So now you understand why the PAB 2011 must pass quickly. ERECTION, ERECTION.
So now what to do? Things are not useless if one were to read and understand Civil Unrest in France and how UMNO convince the trishaw riders to demand and got RM100 per month.
By using the two examples WE THE PEOPLE CAN BANISH BN RATHER UMNO TO HELL. UNITED WE STAND, TOGETHER WE FOCUS.
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