The French people have been protesting new labor laws for a couple of weeks, but what I find particular interesting is the potential for these gatherings to turn into a full fledged political movement.

We all know by now that the status quo doesn’t care if the peasants get out in the streets for a few days to blow off some steam after being raped and pillaged by politicians. What really worries them; however, is when people get together, start talking to each other and then form cohesive movements. With “Nuit Debout,” or “Up All Night,” this may be happening in France.

Reuters reported the following yesterday:

The “Nuit Debout” or “Up all Night” movement began on March 31 when a group of activists decided not to go home after a march against labor reform, said 35-year-old Simon, a theater worker and one of the volunteers who greets newcomers.

Crowds ranging from several hundred to a few thousand have gathered every evening since then for a spontaneous happening that is a mixture of street theater, party and ritual initiation for a new generation of activists.

“Nuit Debout is a problem for Hollande because it’s largely his 2012 voters who are taking to the street and saying ‘We were fooled. Never again’,” Socialist lawmaker Malek Boutih told Le Monde daily.

Sound familiar?

Hollande made a big play for the youth vote in his 2012 election campaign and is now considering whether to run again in 2017 despite record low approval ratings.

The all-night sit-ins spread to some 60 towns around the provinces at the weekend, worrying the government sufficiently for it to announce about 500 million euros in extra subsidies for young job seekers on Monday.

Protesters say the latest handouts to students and apprentices miss the point.

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