Gas stations ran dry last week when unions blocked the refineries.  Other employees threatened to shut down nuclear reactors.  Public transport is expected to grind to a halt this week.  Police, teachers, prison guards and more are joining the movement. All of this to protest a mild labor reform law aimed at reducing unemployment.

President Hollande insists he will not back down even though violence in the streets, despite a state-of-emergency, has the government fearing tourists will stay away this summer.

It is truly a case of ‘The Cid‘ in which there is no honorable way out for all sides meaning the worst is possible.