France
Liberté, égalité, anti-racisme
22 October 2020 Anti-racist movements in France are challenging both the state and the traditional left, writes Selma Oumari
Municipalist France!
18 August 2020 The recent wave of local election victories in France demonstrates the potential of municipalism, argues Xavi Ferrer, Elena Arrontes and the Collective for Global Municipalism
Gilets Jaunes and the security state
13 February 2019 Olly Haynes reports on the violent crackdown on protesters on the streets of France
Christmas with the gilets jaunes
24 December 2018 The 'yellow vests' revolt in France has targeted centrist president Macron, but left wing opinion has been divided over its unclear politics. Paul Cudenec reports from the protests – and finds a community spirit that bears little resemblance to the media's depictions
Revenge against the commons
8 July 2018 In France, a fight against a new airport has morphed into a defence of new ways of living. John Jordan reports from inside an ‘autonomous zone’ under attack by the state. Photographs by Penelope Thomaidi
France: The colonial republic
11 July 2017 The roots of France’s ascendant racism lie as deep as the origins of the French republic itself, argues Yasser Louati
On the narcissism of small differences
11 May 2017 In an interview with the TNI's Nick Buxton, social scientist and activist Susan George reflects on the French Presidential Elections.
Before you go to Calais… How to make your help for refugees effective
11 September 2015 Lots of people now want to help the refugees in Calais – but turning up unannounced with a van-load of stuff can do more harm than good. Kate Bradley looks at the best ways to make a difference
Ever-growing, ever-changing: Inside the Calais camp
7 September 2015 The Calais refugee camp is starting to develop from tents to makeshift clinics, schools, cafes and more – but no one should have to live this way, writes Amy Corcoran
Reclaiming the legacy of the Paris Commune
4 September 2015 Jane Shallice reviews Communal Luxury: The Political Imaginary of the Paris Commune, by Kristin Ross
Breakthrough of the Left Front in France
6 June 2012 Christophe Aguiton looks at the foundations and future of Jean-Luc Melenchon's Left Front and left politics in France
Border stories
1 October 2009 Frances Webber investigates the tabloid fantasies and desperate realities surrounding migrants in Calais
Almost revolutionary
16 February 2009 John Mullen looks at the new hopes on France's radical left, where two new left parties and a looser federation are being founded
France’s new anti-capitalist party
10 January 2009 There's been surprisingly little discussion in the UK on the launch of the 'new anti-capitalist party' in France. Jim Jepps spoke to John Mullen, the editor of Socialisme International, to find out more
The left has only itself to blame
1 December 2007 The right-wing election victory in France should never have happened, writes Philippe Marlière.
Why French and Dutch citizens are saying NO
1 June 2006 The French referendum on the EU constitution takes place on 29 May, followed by a similar referendum in The Netherlands on 1 June. Opinions polls show the 'no' side edging ahead, but in both countries it's still too close to call. The following virtual interview is based on presentations given at the Transnational Institute (TNI) Fellows' Meeting in Amsterdam on 21 May.
Paris is burning
1 November 2005 In 1991, after violent riots between youths and police scarred the suburbs of Lyon, French sociologist Alain Tourraine predicted that 'it will only be a few years before we face the kind of massive urban explosion of the American experience'. The 12 nights of consecutive violence following the deaths of two young Muslim men of African descent in a Paris suburb indicate that Tourraine's dark vision of a ghettoised, post-colonial France is now upon us.
Who really bombed Paris?
1 September 2005 The French response to 'Islamic terrorism' after the 1995 Paris metro bombing is often held up as a model. But there is strong evidence that the attacks were part of the Algerian government's 'dirty war' on its opponents.
Non de gauche: the French Left after the referendum
1 July 2005 The French No vote in the 29 May referendum on the European constitution had immediate consequences, both for the fate of the treaty and for domestic politics. But this was no mere mid-term protest against an unpopular government, nor further evidence of France's famed 'ungovernability', the fact that no government in the last thirty years has lasted more than one term in office. It actually marks an important staging post in the making of a new Left on the terrain of capitalist globalisation.
French Hijab ban: one year on
1 May 2005 Naima Bouteldja on why French Muslim school children are not celebrating the first anniversary of the 'headscarf ban'.
