March 28th

On this day - March 28th 2006 - Student Protest in France

The youth protest in France started earlier in February 2006 and was against the bill to deregulate labour laws regarding first time hires and workers under the age of 26. The proposed changes would make it easier for employers to fire employees during first two years of their hire. The main part was that employers would not need to site a reason for their decision to fire the employee for the first two years. This proposed change was so unpopular that on February 7th between 200 000 and 400 000 people took part in 187 protests in France. The protest gained traction and over a million took part in protests on the 7th and 9th of March, 38 universities were even on strike. The protest escalated trough March and on the 28th 1.055 million (according to the police, 2.71 million according to the union) people marched against the proposed change in law. On April 11th the legislation was scraped and by April 18th all the universities were reopened. 

Protest at Paris Jessieu Campus, Origin 

   

November 5th

On this day – 5 November 1605 – Guy Fawkes failed Gunpowder Plot in London

Guy Fawkes was a member of a group of English Catholics who tried to organise a catholic rebellion in England. The Catholic group gained access to a cellar underneath the British House of Lords, which they planned to blow up on November 5. The group was led by Robert Catesby, but Guy Fawkes was got caught with the explosives on the day before the plan was to be set to life. Someone had sent an anonymous letter to the authorities and Guy Fawkes was caught with enough gunpowder to completely demolish the house of lords on the night to the fifth of November. Fawkes were later, together with 7 other sentenced to be hanged, drawn and quartet, a punishment which included being drawn by a horse and cut into four pieces. Today thwarting of the gunpowder Plot is celebrated with bonfires and fireworks all over UK. The Guy Fawkes mask is styled after Guy Fawkes and was modernised when it was used in V for Vandetta from 1982 and later in the movie adaptation from 2006. The mask has now come to represent protest and is used by the hacktivist group Anonymous.

 

Remember, remember the fifth of November

Gunpowder, treason and plot.

I see no reason, why gunpowder treason

Should ever be forgot.

Protesters in Guy Fawkes masks