Strike journey paralyzes France and London

Workers in the French Republic have gone today on general strike in opposition to Sarkozy's plans to cut pensions and rise the minimum retirement age. The date has been chosen in order to make the greatest effect on the parliamentary debate to happen this autumn. School teachers also went on strike yesterday in protest for mass cuts in public education, suppressing 7,000 jobs.

About 60% of workers did not go to work today in the Northern Basque Country (left: demo at Baiona/Bayonne). Meanwhile official and union sources disputed if the mobilizations across the republic reached 1.1 million of 2.7 million.

Besides pensions, the issue of racist mass deportations of European citizens of Roma ethnicity has also been present in the massive protests.

Meanwhile, in London, subway workers have walked out against some 800 job cuts. The strike has been rather strong and has caused major difficulties in the English capital today.

Sources: Berria, Al Jazeera, The Guardian, BBC (links: France, London) [British media seem to be hiding the London Tube strike]