In November 25 1995, the day after the start of the general strike in transport, over 40,000 people marched through Paris in defence of women's rights. In several other cities, those unable to get to Paris because of the strike organised impromptu demonstrations. While the "old feminists of the 1970s" were clearly at the demo, all the media noted the mixed nature of the demonstration, in both gender and generational terms.
The demonstration was called in defence of the right to abortion and contraception, for women's right to work, for real equality between men and woren and against the new moral order.
It was supported by a broad range of social and political organisations-from women active against violence against women, young women's groups and organisations of immigrant women to trade unions and all political organisations from the Socialist Party leftwards. Over 40,000 people marched through Paris in defence of women's rights This broad support and the unexpectedly large turn-out also reflected the new spirit that developed in the strike movement of last November and December.
It is not yet possible to meas ure the long term effects of that movement. Certainly the demonstrations called as a follow-up by the FSU (national teachers' federation) on February !! were far from reaching the size of those of December. The other unions (particularly the CGT) did very little to mobilise for them.
However, as the effects of Juppé's measures begin to bite, activists who considered the December strike movement to have only been 'suspended' may wel return to the streets But the success of the No. vember 25 demonstration cannot be understood just in the context of the overall political ferment.
It was also the fruit of the work of the Coordination of Associations for the Right to Abortion and Contraception (CADAC) which was behind the original call.
CADAC was formed in 199l, following the first "commando attacks" by anti-abortionists on abortion clinics in France. These attacks, organised by a series of Catholic fundamentalist groups whose links with the French far right are also well-known, usually take the form of occupation of clinics with the commandos chaining themselves to the beds and praying.
Hospital managers were
often reluctant to press charges and on the rare occasions these attacks did come to court, sentences were very light (suspended sentences and fines at most).
CADAC was formed by the small feminist organisations still active along with the Family Planning Movement, which in France has both an institutional