ABSTRACT
The French government had a clear interest in avoiding violent clashes with protesters because dead bodies had a major propaganda value for the left-wing opposition. Such incidents would only help to undermine the legitimacy of the government and could furthermore be used to justify violent opposition to the existing government and regime. The extent to which the violent actions that took place in Nord-Pas-de-Calais could be linked to the promotion of revolutionary syndicalism is, of course, difficult to assess. As can be seen from mobilisation large-scale labour disputes, the most serious challenges to public order in Nord-Pas-de-Calais and Westphalia came from the employees in the mining industry. The issue of public order – serious as it was – was only one aspect of the challenge to public authorities that came from strikes among miners, dock workers and railway and communication workers.
