CPE: Crazy Protest Environment

Check this video out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6V5ESRxSWw - that's Place Verdun, downtown, last Thursday. I had to go there today to receive my titre de sejour, the residency permit that lets me legally stay in France (initial request made, oh, five months ago). There was a big police presence and the ones guarding the entrance were visibly jumpy so I walked slowly and held out my American passport as I approached. Waved through. Whew. After receiving it, I went to the CAF, the government entity that distributes housing assistance, but, of course, they were on strike today. I walked through the Grenoble demonstration this morning and took a few pictures and videos - it was quite an incredible, festive atmosphere. I'd estimate at least 6,000 people were out in the street.

I just got off the phone with a friend and she said there were more police-protestor battles downtown this afternoon at Place Victor Hugo, normally a tranquil square full of trees, park benches and a fountain. Apparently protestors attacked police vans and the police responded with heavy volleys of tear gas.

Foreign-student-only classes will resume tomorrow. I have two of those. My five other classes contain French students, so they're still suspended. Students vote again tomorrow morning about continuing the bloquage. The previous vote was last Friday; 2000 voted in favor of continuing the barricades, 1000 against. The government's not budging on the law and the unions and students just keep getting angrier and angrier, so there's no immediate resolution in sight.