The Fight Against Subversive Contestations
revolt are met , 3 but above all , the secret monthly reports of the prefects are alarmist as to the growing anger of the French population . 4 However , between aspirations and practice , there is a major difference .
At first glance , protest movements are social movements , i . e ., “ a set of concerted collective mobilizations and actions in favor of a cause , combining the use of protest techniques , social demands against the authorities in place , and the defense of a conception of the just distribution of desirable goods within a society .” 5 These movements with a social or political claim may evolve with the use of violent methods into movements demanding independence or autonomy for their region ( A ), so-called “ radical ” political movements ( B ), or subversive movements ( C ).
Nota Bene : It is necessary to note the emergence of the Yellow Vests movement , while considering it perilous to provide an in-depth analysis that might be of little relevance . Be that as it may , this movement includes de facto a social , and now political , demand , with the use of so-called violent methods ( in that it includes the looting of external elements from the suburbs and the presence of radical movements ), whose purpose has become both social and subversive , since this movement calls not only for the dissolution of the National Assembly , but also for the resignation of the head of state , with the recognition of popular sovereignty , that is , the recurrent use of referendums .
A . Movements Claiming Independence or Autonomy for Their Region
France is a unitary republic whose organization is decentralized , which confers a certain degree of autonomy on the local authorities , namely that “ under the conditions provided for by law , these authorities are freely administered by elected councils and have regulatory power for the exercise of their powers .” However , the demand for autonomy remains strong , particularly in Brittany , Corsica , the Basque country , and the DROM-COMs , insofar as their demand is based on the idea that decentralization is not enough , since the answer should be either autonomy or independence .
After the assassination of Prefect Claude Erignac on February 6 , 1998 , the Corsican straw huts affair of April 19 , 1999 , and the progression of Corsican nationalists in the territorial elections of March 7 , 1999 , the Jospin government in France proposed a new status for Corsica , which resulted in the law of January 22 , 2002 , the aim of which was to extend the powers of the Corsican assembly ; these negotiations were called the Matignon Accords ( 1998 – 2002 ) and allowed greater leeway for Corsica in the context of decentralization , although this did not exempt
5 Nay ( O .) ( dir .), Lexique de science politique . Vie et institutions politiques , Dalloz , Paris , 2008 , p . 332- 333 .
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