This is Jacobin Radio, I'm Suzy Wiseman. On today's show we cover two existential crises

rocking the global order. First in France, where President Macron has imposed a deeply

impopular pension reform by resorting to Article 49.3 of the Constitution, meaning he bypassed

parliament. This move has provoked the second largest wave of continuous popular mobilization

arguably since May 68. The second existential crisis is in Israel, where half the population

is taken to the streets and shut down their workplaces in a spontaneous protest over Prime

Minister Netanyahu's moves to destroy judicial independence and the sacking of his defense minister,

who noted that a large chunk of the military have stopped their training in protest. Public

outrage on the streets has compelled Netanyahu to put his anti-democratic moves on hold,

whereas in France, Macron is intransigent in the face of a united trade union front

and ever more people hitting the streets. And in response, he has unleashed unprecedented security

measures, meaning more police violence against peaceful demonstrators. We get the big picture with

analyses from Sebastian Bajun in France and Yoav Pellet in Israel. All this when our program

returns in just a moment.

This is Jacobin Radio. I'm Suzy Weisman, very pleased to have Sebastian Bajun back with us

to discuss this amazing crisis in France, where President Mahon has provoked literally the

largest wave of popular mobilization arguably since May 68. Millions have participated in

continuous demonstration days of actions, blockades and national strikes since about January 19th

against Macron's efforts to force his hugely unpopular so-called pension reform into law

without a vote by resorting to Article 49.3 of the French Constitution. The use of that article

49.3, which is means passing a law without a parliamentary vote, has made the fight over the

pension bill a broader fight over the powers of a Manuel Macron's government which lost its

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