Frankfort -on-the-Oder, 1st May - Departure of the 1st German March
The official depart was from the Polish side, where the 30 Solidarnosc militants
present, gave the marchers a good send off. The marchers crossed the Oder Bridge.
The day was organised by the DB (the large confederation of German unions)
around a festival to celebrate an annual convention of Poles and Germans. Later on
some Polish people will join the march . The extensive press coverage of the march
made the marchers feel even more cheerful as they set off on their way. Friday, 2nd
May. The march went through a forest, then on to F�stenwalde, where the marchers
are given a reception by the local Mayor at the town hall. Saturday, 3rd May.
Berlin. Here about a hundred people marched to the Brandebourg Gate, under the
statue of the bronze tank. Debat in the evening at the Humboldt University.
At the last count, there are now nearly thirty German marchers ready to leave
Berlin, of which there are three French marchers.
Spain / Barcelona - March from Almeria
The day the march arrived in Barcelona, was already full of protest action : it was the start of the underground strike (which was planned to last until 30th April), a demonstration planned against temporary work agencies by women and the Young, because these have become the most glaring symbol of our times of job insecurity, and finally, in Barcelona, there was a hungar strike by immigrants workers demanding "permits for everyone" in the Saint Louis Gonzala church. There was a big demonstration in the city by the marchers in a show of unity between different groups demonstrating. Over 2 to 3000 people joined in the demo. (A detailled description will be sent in Castillan)
Besan�on 3rd May - the March from Grenoble.
For the 1st May, the march was in Switzerland.
At Locle, in the morning 150 to 200 people attended a meeting called by the trade
unionists(briefly, in Switzerland, the unions are grouped in a confederation) and
supported by left-wing parties. They accompanied the march on its way out of
Locle. Arrival in the afternoon at La Chaux de Fond, where a demonstration was
held and attended by about 500 to 1000 people, once again it calledby the trade
unions and left-wing parties. The marchers were loudly applauded and invited to
head the rally ... Lunch at La Chaux de Fond was given by the Kurdish association
(with 200 people) followed by a film show. A real celebratory meal, and then later
the combined union organisations present made a collection for the march. The
natinal press, and Swiss Romand reported on the day's activities as a series of
special events. The night was spent at Locle, and in the morning, the marchers left
for Morteau in the Franche-Comt�, France. The participants of the march now
included 28 permanent marchers, 1 Spanish marcher 2 UK marchers, 4 Swiss
marchers, the remainder were French. In the evening at Morteau, a reception was
held at a Youth Centre (maison des jeunes et de la culture,MJC), given jointly by
the local unemployment group and GCT militants, and was attented by about sixty
people. An incident happened during the march, which affected the marchers,
there was a car accident, fortuately the driver was only slightly injured. Saturday,
3rd May, the marchers left Morteau for Besan�on by train. They were given a good
send off by the march supporters who numbered around 150 to 200 people, many
wore badges from AC!, FSU, SUD CGT ... Toulouse Thursday 1st May - departure of
the march which will link up with the Tangiers/Amsterdam march at Poitiers on the
10th May.
Ist May joint trade union march with over 1200 people, supported by 200 militants of the European March, followed the trade union cortege. A pic-nic for the marches took place near the dual bridge before the departure of the Toulouse march. 500 people came to waved good-bye to the marchers, an overwhelming success, because it meant that the marchers took to the road in high spirits. The events were fully covered by the local press. Present at the departure of the march, were AC!31, local unemployment group, T07-UTC (a job for everyone), 31-APEIS, Cahors-DAL, 31- Inform'l, Culture et Liberty, Group of 10, FSU, CFDT in the Struggle.
Hendaye 30th April - March from Tangiers
Wednesday 30th April, reception of the marchers by about a hundred Bayon militants. The demonstration headed for the town hall square. In the evening, there was a debat organised by the ELB (the Federation of Basque small farmers)
Thursday 1st May at Bayonne
Joint trade union march with over 1000 people. The European March banner lead
the cortege. Afterwards, there was speeches in the three regional languages,
Basque, Spanish and French. In the afternoon, there was a debat on the problems
of unemployment which was held on the local assocations' premises. 300 people
attended the debat. The events of the day were fully reported by the local press.
Hendaye - arrival of the March from Saragosse, Camfranc, Pau
Monday 28th April, 40 marchers crossed the Spanish-French border, a French delegation was waiting to welcome the marchers. Tuesday 29th April, at the Somport Pass in the Hautes Pyrenees, a dozen Spanish marchers decided to stay on the march into France with the French marchers. The marchers met local small- farmers who were fighting against the construction of a motorway. 50 marchers on the Bedous-Oloron part of the march, rode along on their bicycles. Later in the afternoon, the marchers occupied the local job centre in Oloron and mounted a campaign for free transport for the jobless by using public transport, in a large group, without paying in Paul-Hendaye. In Hendaye, the march converged with the other leg of the Spanish march.
Perpignan Ist May - March from Almeria, Spain
Wednesday 30th April, Immigration day, the marchers held a ceremony to erect a memorial plaque in hommage to the 11 Moroccans without official papers, who all died in a car accident just before the Perthus frontier. 200 people made up a cortege in the direction of Perpignan.
Alen�on 1st May - March from Brest
The marchers crossed the bridge very early the next morning. Breakfast was prepared for them by the Federation of small-farmers. By 10h.30, all the demonstrators were ready, reunited behind the banner of the European March. AC!, the associations of the unemployed, the Sarthois of Mans, Sabl�, Bouloire, Rennes, Brest and Caen. The cortege got underway for a demonstration in Alen�on. Local members of the CFDT (the CFDT of Lower Normandy fully supports the marches), also walked behind the European March banner as with the other 400 demonstrators made up of : CGT, CFDT, FSU, Federation of Small-farmers, Moulinex workers, (one of the major factories in the region), local hospitals unions, SNUI, ASTI, AC!, MNCP, CSCV, Ras l'Front (anti-fascist movement). This display of Labour day solidarity, turned out to be a very big demonstration for Alen�on and a real pleasure for the marchers...