Public security

Strikes, floods, protests and sense of betrayal pile on misery for France

Less than a week from the start of Euro 2016 and the French coq – symbol of the national football team – should be crowing to the cries of “Allez les Bleus”.

Instead, with days ticking down to the first match in the European championships on Friday, there is a pervasive atmosphere of gloom in France that has little to do with how the national side acquits itself, or the atrocious weather. Threats of terrorist attacks have been high on the list of concerns for months; recent torrential rain has brought floods to a swath of central Europe, including central France, where the river Seine burst its banks and brought parts of Paris to a standstill.

But what has depressed the national mood at what should be a time of celebration is the widespread threat of industrial action in the form of strikes, blockades and noisy, violent demonstrations against employment law reforms.