France's New Strike Force

OLIVIER LABAN-MATTEI / AFP

Facing up Protesters from Generation Precarious invade a luxury Paris outlet to demonstrate against the exploitation of interns

To much of the world, strikes are as French as wine, cheese or extramarital affairs. But France's dirty little secret is that industrial action has long helped perpetuate the status quo rather than overturn it. Now the art of protest is undergoing a revolution (another French tradition) as a small group of social activists uses creativity, humor and media savvy to draw the kind of attention it once took millions of marchers to muster. And here's the really radical thing: France's youthful demonstrators aren't just winning support for their various causes — they're challenging the very social and economic pact that...

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