French Protest Against Austerity and Prime Minister Valls

The French have taken their crusade against austerity to the streets. Organizers say 100,000 hit the streets, government officials say 25,000.

The truth is likely to be somewhere in the middle, but as noted numerous times recently, prime minister Manuel Valls is in the spotlight, and not in a good way.

Via translation from Les Echos: Left Take Protest in the Streets Against Austerity.

Several thousand people demonstrated on Saturday against austerity and the economic plan of the government in the first step of the "Left Opposition" held since the defeat of PS in municipal elections and the arrival of prime minister Manuel Valls.

Holding placards "Let's send Vallser austerity" or "Holland's enough," the protesters marched between Republique and Nation to the call of the Left Front, the New Anti-Capitalist Party (NPA), several union federations and associations .

They were 25,000 to manifest according to the prefecture of police, 100,000 according to organizers.

The leaders of the Left Front, Pierre Laurent and Jean-Luc Mélenchon, were present at the head of the procession alongside the Greek leader of the leftist SYRIZA and candidate of the European left to the President of the European Commission, Alexis Tsipras.

"This is a message sent to the government," said Jean-Luc Mélenchon, co-chairman of the Left Party, press. "There is a left in this country and it is not acceptable for Hollande  to apply a right wing economic policy. "

"The message is clear, Manuel Valls begins with a first event, and this is important because it means that there is a new political sequence that opens," said his side Olivier Besancenot, the NPA, to the press.

"This is the first manifestation of the left opposition to the government," he said.

Manuel Valls has faced a sling of opposition from the left who claim Hollande's shift in its policy as too rightist.

The left requests Hollande abandon the Covenant of responsibility that provides relief loads of companies in exchange for hiring. This iconic economic measure of François Hollande is seen by its critics as a blank check to the employers.

According to a BVA poll published Saturday by Le Parisien-Aujourd'hui en France, 60% of French people doubt the ability of Manuel Valls to reduce unemployment and 56% think he will not be effective to "allow social justice. "

The European elections are on May 25. This march against austerity is an opportunity for the left to the left to make its voice heard.

After participating in a disorganized municipal elections in late March, the PCF and PG jointly launched the campaign Friday evening for polling.

"The European elections will confirm the political verdict is that people are fed up with the right wing policies of François Hollande," said Jean-Luc Mélenchon.