FRANCE: When film stars walk up the steps in Cannes at the opening of the world's most important film festival, they'll share the limelight with an unruly bunch of French entertainers who are protesting at attempts to reform Europe's most generous unemployment scheme for part-time actors, dancers and stagehands.
There were fears in recent days that the entertainers could force the cancellation of the Cannes Festival. In 57 years, it has been cancelled only once, in May 1968. But unions representing the protesters announced late yesterday that they had reached a compromise with festival organisers that will provide them with a public stage on a near daily basis for 15 days, including during the glamourous ascent of the staircase that opens the festival.
But the situation remains tense, with an extra 1,000 police deployed to ensure security in Cannes.
Thousands of unemployed entertainers boarded buses for Cannes this week, and officials fear that extreme left-wing and anti-globalisation movements may join in.
Wearing his tricolour sash, Mayor Bernard Brochant led a demonstration by shopkeepers, hoteliers and restaurant owners opposed to the entertainers. The businesses earn more than 10 per cent of their annual turnover during the festival. Mr Brochant said Cannes is "a jewel of French culture" which must not be endangered by protests.
Last summer, the entertainers managed to shut down the Avignon and Arles festivals. The "collateral damage" was national, Libération newspaper noted. "This time, this Franco-French civil war risks splattering the television news broadcasts of the entire world, live, from the navel of the world. And it's happening the very year when organisers were rejoicing in the 'return' of the big Hollywood producers!"
In the 11 months since the conflict started, French part-time entertainers have repeatedly staged raids on studios during live television broadcasts to air their grievances. The government ignored them in the hope the protests would die out.
Prime Minister Mr Jean-Pierre Raffarin has denounced the entertainers' methods as "the democracy of blackmail".
Yet one of his suggestions, made as a concession to save Cannes, appears likely to be adopted. Henceforward, female entertainers on maternity leave will receive full pay.
Highlights of the festival are to include the showing of Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11, which reveals ties between President Bush and the Saudi royal family.
The US actors Brad Pitt and Tom Hanks will be on hand to promote the films they star in.
The festival jury is headed by the cult US film director Quentin Tarantino.