Living, Working and Deciding in Brittany group expects thousands of Bretons to be mobilizing again today for jobs and greater decentralization. The demonstration will be the second one in less than a month, after the historic march on 2th November in Quimper, when some 15,000 to 30,000 Bretons demanded measures aimed at fosterinf the local economy, and asked Paris for more political openness in order to allow Brittany to have more decision-making power over its own affairs.

The demonstration is taking place today in Carhaix, the town where Christian Troadec is mayor. Troadec is one of the leaders of the Breton movement, which is also known by the nickname of bonnets rouges (red hats), in memory of a Breton insurrection in 1675.

In the call to today's demonstration, Living, Working and Deciding in Brittany group raises three claims that, in its opinion, should be accepted by the French Government. On the one hand, free roads for Britanny. Secondly, measures against "social dumping" (hiring foreign workers who are paid less than locals). And thridly, "less administrative burdens and more means and tools to meet" the needs of Brittany.

Understanding mobilization: an economic axis and a Breton national axis

Breton sources have told Nationalia that the current mobilization can be understood mainly for two reasons. The main one is economy. Hardships currently underwent by the Breton economy place both owners of small and medium businesses (including farmers) and employees on the same side of social demands: Breton industries must be defended so that local businesses and jobs can continue to exist. The other -minority- reason are the Breton national demands: Brittany is now unable to decide barely anything on its own in a French Republic that -despite processes for regionalization- continues to virtually concentrate all power in Paris.

The same sources suggest that there are interesting news this time when it comes to party politics. Indeed, for the first time there is a politician (Christian Troadec) who is not a member of any France-wide party who is trying to organize this discontent around him. Troadec is the leader of the Movement Brittany and Progress (MBP), a very young political party that has two General Council members in its ranks: Troadec himself (Finistère General Council) and Christian Derrien (Morbihan General Council).

As could be expected, MBP is one of the parties that supports today's event. Troadec's party believes that there is a need to create a new Breton left, since the French left "refuses decentralization, regionalization and autonomy for the regions" and, thus, it really "defends a self-proclaimed Parisian elite that only wants to retain power and financial resources in Paris".

The Carhaix demonstration is also supported by other Breton political parties, such as the pro-sovereignty Breton Party, the autonomist Breton Democratic Union and the pro-independence left.

(Image: demonstration in Quimper, 2nd November / picture by Mathilde Dupeyron.)