Night Gatherings of Protesting Youth in France

Opposition from some students and schoolchildren to labor law reforms in France has led to the initiative of night gatherings in public spaces by a number of them. These youth gatherings, which started in Paris, have spread to dozens of other cities across France. The most important gathering place for youth to discuss and exchange ideas is the open space of the Place de la République in Paris. This symbolic location, especially after the January and November 2015 terrorist attacks that occurred very close to this square, has also become a place to express sympathy for the victims of these shocking events. The youth who initiated the night gatherings aimed to display their dissatisfaction with political parties and organizations, as well as official institutions like the House of Representatives, while simultaneously experiencing a new form of civil participation and direct democracy. The youth's enthusiasm for these gatherings indicates their need for a new direct dialogue with society and among themselves. The night gatherings of protesting youth are very simple and informal public meetings. Hundreds of young people sit together on the ground in the open air to listen to discussions and express their opinions if they wish. In the Place de la République, where the most significant night meeting takes place, there is a space for 'general assembly' discussions that many participate in. Those who wish to express their opinions register their names, and the session facilitator invites people to speak in turn. To increase public direct participation, everyone has a short but equal time to express their views. In various corners of the square, there are also thematic 'commissions' and other scattered discussions taking place. The general assembly decides on the topics of the commissions (work, environment, Europe, education, housing, globalization, agriculture, etc.). Individuals can freely participate in the commission meetings, which are formed as separate discussion circles in different corners of the square, based on their interests or expertise. The main task of the commissions is to discuss and prepare proposals in each area to draft a public foundation and outline demands. Another important feature of these youth gatherings is their dynamic and vibrant cultural atmosphere. Alongside serious political and social discussions, various artistic and cultural activities, whether serious or entertaining, add a unique atmosphere to these night meetings. Music, dance, screenings of historical or environmental documentaries, book sales, and celebrations continue throughout the night. Direct democracy for critiquing society Listening to the words and opinions or reading many of the demands raised in this movement clearly indicates the existence of a critical perspective among some youth regarding the state of society and its problems and challenges. The statements and writings also serve as a critique of the existing society and express the inner pains, concerns, and aspirations of the current generation. The main discussions in the general assembly revolve around cooperation and optimal distribution of community resources, gender equality, various forms of discrimination, the economic crisis, unemployment issues, critique of the governmental system and the issue of representation of the people, the place of direct democracy, and critique of the legitimacy of official institutions like parliament or government, European policies, globalization trends, community culture, the issue of migrants, the environment, and support for vulnerable groups in society. In many cases, the discussions express dissatisfaction or personal analysis of the current conditions or share personal experiences in the realm of social life. For example, one night a young man presented statistics and suggested that the government should help the poor instead of providing financial assistance to banks and large companies, while another student said that the only way to combat unemployment is for the government to hire the unemployed. A young woman who came from a village in the Picardy region to attend the general assembly believes that by creating social solidarity networks, enough healthy food can be provided for everyone. She shared her experience and that of her friends, who help feed those without money by creating a small cooperative farm. A young farmer from the suburbs of Paris criticized the expansion of large agricultural production units, which not only makes the continuation of healthy, non-industrial agriculture impossible but also leads to environmental destruction. A young man who identifies himself as a medical student advocates for accepting more migrants in France and states that healthcare services for them should be free. A young female teacher suggests changing the content of history lessons and rewriting history with a humanistic and global perspective, free from national selfishness. Another young woman, who holds a university degree and is looking for work, raises the issue of immediately occupying vacant houses and allocating them to the homeless and migrants. A young male economics student also suggests abolishing scholarships or enacting heavy new taxes for those earning over 4,000 euros. A female student from eastern France who came to Paris talks about the experience of creating a 'small social supermarket' that was formed with the help of a network of people from several villages connected via Facebook, providing cheap goods to the needy. The directions of the discussions vary greatly, but many of them express a desire for a society with less discrimination and fewer problems. Those over 40 or 50 years old mostly observe the scene and rarely wish to speak. The youth manage the sessions and commissions and try to give everyone an opportunity to express their opinions. From the way they speak, the words used, and the nature of the demands and proposals, one can somewhat understand who is likely closer to political and union organizations and which group tends to present their personal opinions. At the same time, the type of participation and the open and dynamic atmosphere within the general assembly and commissions make it such that even if political and union activists want to impose their views and programs on the group, they cannot. The social significance of the Paris night gatherings does not lie in the objectivity or rationality of all the words and analyses or their feasibility. A review of what is said in these meetings shows that at least some of the proposals and demands are impractical and idealistic, and some of the content is exaggerated. However, it seems that many young people, before being concerned about the practicality of their demands, wish to participate in transforming the current situation and envision a more humane society with fewer inequalities and injustices. Their words also indicate that many current political parties and the political order are disillusioned and are seeking to awaken public conscience in the realm of politics and introduce a new plan. The youth movement for change can be seen as the beginning of a new social movement. This movement can be fleeting and ephemeral or evolve into a broader social phenomenon. The youth movement shares many similarities with the new generation of social movements that emerged in the U.S. (Occupy Wall Street), Spain, Greece, Iceland, etc. These emerging social movements differ significantly from historical social movements in terms of projects, organization, internal dynamics, and leadership. Important historical social movements from the 19th century to the 1960s and 1970s were mostly created by political parties, unions, and civil organizations, had relatively clear projects and demands, had leadership, and their opposition was clear. The significant role of intellectuals and leadership, especially cultured leadership, and the presence of a hierarchical and vertical organization in a large part of the movements before the 1980s is evident. The Paris youth gatherings, in terms of organizational structure and public participation, bear a strong resemblance to the Indignados movement in Spain (the angry ones or those who express their anger at the current conditions were inspired by the loud manifesto of Stéphane Hessel, a renowned French diplomat, humanist, and human rights activist in 2011 titled 'Indignez-vous!'). It is not surprising that this experience is frequently referenced in the night gatherings. In Spain, young people who were disillusioned with the approach of the major parties and their projects organized a large demonstration in Madrid on May 15, 2011, at the symbolic location of 'Puerta del Sol.' This collective movement marked the beginning of the largest social movement in Spain after the fall of Franco. The 15M movement (May 15) later became known as the Indignados and spread to other major cities, continuing the gatherings of dissatisfied youth in important urban locations like Puerta del Sol in Madrid, creating a new form of civil activism. The choice of a symbolic location began with the Arab Spring in Egypt (Tahrir Square) and continued in several other social movements in Europe and North America. New and different generation of social movements differ from earlier movements in many aspects. Some of these differences relate to fundamental changes in recent decades, including the role of information and communication technology, the changing structure of the civil sphere, the weakening role of traditional organizations like parties, and new forms of social connections or the position of youth in society and their relationship with previous generations. These large structural transformations have led to the emergence of new forms of dynamics and civil initiatives, and social movements after the 2000s, from the Green Movement in Iran to the Arab Spring, Occupy Wall Street, and the night gatherings of youth in France, carry varying degrees of these main signs. Recent social movements like the Indignados or the night gatherings of dissatisfied youth in France represent a new form of participation in political affairs, presence in the civil sphere, and collective dialogue that differ in several important ways from previous generations of social movements. The first significant feature is the replacement of horizontal organization instead of general organization and the active and spontaneous role of informal and virtual social networks. Horizontal organization means strengthening direct democracy and the absence of traditional leadership or guidance from above by influential leaders or reference intellectuals. This phenomenon does not mean a complete distancing of movements from intellectuals, but the nature of the relationship has changed, and the influence and presence of intellectuals in the movement is marginal and indirect. Direct democracy in these movements calls for direct citizen intervention and opposes forms of organization by political elites. Another feature of new social movements is the formation of a type of discourse and political language in which activists less frequently resort to known and conventional terms (class, class struggle, class conflict, left, right, imperialism, etc.) and seek to create new vocabulary for their contemporary demands. Gender equality and the meaningful presence of young girls and women is another characteristic of these movements. In past movements, women were actively present, but women's demands and the important question of equality were raised in a marginal manner. For example, it was said that with the establishment of democracy or justice, women's issues would automatically be resolved. In the Paris night gatherings, like the Indignados movement in Spain, young girls have an equal role to men, and this phenomenon can be clearly seen in all internal activities of the movement. New social movements are opposed to violence and primarily use civil and non-violent methods to achieve their demands. Another feature of new social movements in the West is the social base and identity of the participating individuals, who, unlike in the past, do not relate themselves to a specific class or group in society and do not claim to represent a particular class. The use of terms like 'the people' or 'youth' reflects this new trend. The night gatherings of youth in France serve as a mirror to society for a better understanding of what is happening among some of the youth in this country. Social movements in the experience of many countries have played an important role in rethinking and renewing society, collective dynamism, and creativity, and are a sign of the vitality of the civil sphere. The virtue of democracy includes allowing such movements to emerge. Participants in this movement experience an important socialization experience, and some young people, regardless of their age, suddenly become active social activists. Youth in this civil movement experience a form of social maturity and subjectivity, learn social participation and intervention in the civil sphere, and deepen their understanding of society. For many, participating in this movement is like going to school for politics and learning about politics. The experience of living through socialization processes within the social movement also means constructing and shaping a new social identity. This movement, in its initial growth stage, does not represent a large part of the public opinion of youth, but it is an invitation to question and scrutinize the current order and the situation of some social groups living under difficult conditions. At the same time, new social movements, due to their characteristics, can be more fragile and less durable than older generation movements. All these movements did not share the same fate in their internal dynamics and transformation. In the Occupy Wall Street movement, participants were not thinking of seizing power or participating in political games; they were more focused on critiquing inequalities and alerting public opinion. In Spain, parts of the Indignados movement organized into a new political movement called Podemos (We Can) in 2014 and achieved significant electoral successes. Other parts of the Indignados movement defend the continuation of the movement in its previous form. In France, however, despite the sympathy of a significant part of public opinion with the night gatherings of youth, we must wait for developments in the coming weeks and months to judge the effectiveness and fate of this movement. The fate of no social movement is predetermined, and everything depends on the internal dynamics and the dialectic of interaction between the civil sphere, social movement, and the political arena.