Who surrenders first in a French riot? The rioters or the police?
Who surrenders first in a French riot? The rioters or the police?
Freedom Fries wrote:
Who surrenders first in a French riot? The rioters or the police?
French riot police are the world's most skilled: they have to do everything other riot police do, but they have to do it while walking backwards.
Nothing new, the French do this every year. This time to protest fuel prices which are higher as a result of the oil market—little to do with fuel taxes as most people think (only ~4% increase). Luckily for me, Alsace is a region that doesn’t protest. People are too busy working to do that.
“It’s a little bit unfair,” Macron, per the New York Times, complained of the protests during a question-and-answer session with the country’s mayors during their annual convention. “They see my face when they fill up at the gas pump.”
“There is a moral crisis in society,” the French president later admitted. “The risk is in the ambient demagogy. I’m hearing the anger. But I don’t want to hear it in a demagogic fashion.”
“The challenge that is ours is to invent a new grammar,” Macron said at one point in his remarks.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/24/world/europe/france-yellow-vest-protest.html
They're (plebeians) are in a moral crisis wrote:
“It’s a little bit unfair,” Macron, per the New York Times, complained of the protests during a question-and-answer session with the country’s mayors during their annual convention. “They see my face when they fill up at the gas pump.”
“There is a moral crisis in society,” the French president later admitted. “The risk is in the ambient demagogy. I’m hearing the anger. But I don’t want to hear it in a demagogic fashion.”
“The challenge that is ours is to invent a new grammar,” Macron said at one point in his remarks.
How many genders does the French grammar have, according to the immortals (Académie Française)?
Is it more or less than the number of cheeses, currently?
douglas burke wrote:
They are rioting about the high gas prices, I live in California so i know how that feels, though to my credit, I have not rioted, I am really proud of myself for not rioting.
oh the irony! The high gas prices are due to the countrys efforts to reduce global warming. The higher taxes on fuel are to force less driving and general fuel consumption. Guess you cant have it both ways.
"Let them eat cake."
The people of Europe are rising up against Goldman Sachs and "Austerity".
Can someone explain why the protestors are all wearing the same bright neon green reflective safety clothing? They're behaving like morans, torching stuff, but wearing matching reflective safety gear?
Because French law requires all drivers to carry the vests in case of car breakdown, or out of fuel. The vest symbolize them running out of fuel due to the artificially high fuel costs?
That's the age old reason why it's so hard to make political change that allows the fundamental freedoms for everyone.
European Commission Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič said, “The way forward is not easy, is not straightforward. In the end it will be the people’s decision how much they’re ready to change the way they behave, how they live.”
The yellow vest protesters are unique in that in France the labor unions/socialists are usually the ones who take to the streets. But the institutional left did not respond to Macron's very unpopular labor reforms. Thus, there was great resentment by the average French citizen against the leftist political parties and unions for rolling over to Macron. They are also unique in that they have nothing to do with right wing nationalists in France. That is because a major issue for the yellow vest movement is how hard it is to get by for the average Frenchman in big cities where the cost of living is out of control. So, you do not see Melanchon or Le Pen being embraced at all by the yellow vest movement.
But the OP is completely off the mark to the extent the OP believes that the yellow vest movement is some sort of libertarian movement. The yellow vest movement is calling for very significant government intervention into the markets in rejection of Macron's attempt at introducing economic liberalization to France's economy. Macron is now seen as only interested in the wants and needs of the very wealthy and has been rejected by the masses. The yellow vests next demand is for a significant increase in the minimum wage.
Also, the rejection of the gas tax has nothing to do with anyone's position on global warming. The problem with the gas tax was that it was very regressive to the extent it was intended as a carbon tax to reduce emissions. A lot of people in France who are just average working class citizens now live well outside the big cities like Paris, Marseille and Lyon. Access to public transportation is very limited and most have to drive. Gas taxes in France are already very high in order to support the public transport system. So, people cannot afford to live in the city, have to drive a lot and are paying a lot for fuel to support a public transport system that is more of a convenience to tourists and well off city dwellers than to your average French citizen.
SirReggie wrote:
douglas burke wrote:
They are rioting about the high gas prices, I live in California so i know how that feels, though to my credit, I have not rioted, I am really proud of myself for not rioting.
oh the irony! The high gas prices are due to the countrys efforts to reduce global warming. The higher taxes on fuel are to force less driving and general fuel consumption. Guess you cant have it both ways.
"Let them eat cake."
Is this much different than raising tariffs on foreign made goods which then forces people to pay higher prices on things or results in grain prices dropping through the floor... the regular citizen pays the price, no?
Yet, I'll bet there are many here in the US who favor Trump's 'short term pain for long term gain' approach while also being on the side of the yellow vest folks in France. It's an interesting situation.
Truth be told the world needs to wean itself from dependence on oil and oil products and it will be painful in the short term, however, the sooner it happens the better for all.
Precious Roy wrote:
The yellow vest protesters are unique in that in France the labor unions/socialists are usually the ones who take to the streets. But the institutional left did not respond to Macron's very unpopular labor reforms. Thus, there was great resentment by the average French citizen against the leftist political parties and unions for rolling over to Macron. They are also unique in that they have nothing to do with right wing nationalists in France. That is because a major issue for the yellow vest movement is how hard it is to get by for the average Frenchman in big cities where the cost of living is out of control. So, you do not see Melanchon or Le Pen being embraced at all by the yellow vest movement.
Well, that might be the opinion view of NYT or LA Times, but the French media ties the violence of the yellow vesters into both right wing nationalists and extreme leftist brigades.
Ltrs wrote:
I think this is important for everyone. If you haven't already, read about the current protests in France. This is not about left or right. This is not the usual French protest. It's not just about fuel prices. It's simply about everyone's right to create and live their own lives without interference from anyone. The people have "had it". Everywhere. It has spread to Belgium. The internet has allowed ideas to go all over the world. This could be the start of a worldwide leaderless revolution.
This doesn’t have legs to go globally. This is unique to French politics and taxes. If you have to read an article just to maybe understand their grievances, there isn’t no way it will spread. A world wide revolution would require people all over the world to actually have a common complaint that drives them to revolt. These ingredients don’t cut the mustard.
Now if worldwide Fuel prices went up tenfold... maybe you’ve got yourself something. However, that’s not gonna happen for 100 years if at all. The USA, Canada, and Russia combined have enough unconventional oil reserves to fuel the global economy at current consumption levels for at least 100 years. To put that in perspective, each of those countries has more than Saudi Arabia had in 1950 conventional oil reserves by threefold. Add in coal and we don’t have a fuel problem, an environmental disaster for sure, but we still have plenty of hydrocarbons.
Broaden your horizons wrote:
Well, that might be the opinion view of NYT or LA Times, but the French media ties the violence of the yellow vesters into both right wing nationalists and extreme leftist brigades.
Thank you Mr. Al-Jazeera Reader.
Clearly the Yellow-Vest Protestors agree with ME!
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1070089367224549377
Ltrs wrote:
I think this is important for everyone. If you haven't already, read about the current protests in France. This is not about left or right. This is not the usual French protest. It's not just about fuel prices. It's simply about everyone's right to create and live their own lives without interference from anyone. The people have "had it". Everywhere. It has spread to Belgium. The internet has allowed ideas to go all over the world. This could be the start of a worldwide leaderless revolution.
Ummm . . . yeah! SMH
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For the sake of your health, please get out of your mom's basement at least once each day.
rhinetalrunner wrote:
Nothing new, the French do this every year. This time to protest fuel prices which are higher as a result of the oil market—little to do with fuel taxes as most people think (only ~4% increase). Luckily for me, Alsace is a region that doesn’t protest. People are too busy working to do that.
It’s not a complex matter.
France is the second most taxed country in Europe.
France is largely a rural country, so people drive a lot.
Taxes need to increase to account for the huge public expenditure.
The answer is easy, less public expenditure.
The French won’t like that either.
Cake and eat it is correct.
rhinetalrunner wrote:
Nothing new, the French do this every year. This time to protest fuel prices which are higher as a result of the oil market—little to do with fuel taxes as most people think (only ~4% increase). Luckily for me, Alsace is a region that doesn’t protest. People are too busy working to do that.
Oil prices are actually lower. At least in the US gasoline prices have been falling by a lot.
Macron and the “elites” are asking ordinary French folks to pony up so that they can attend gala dinners with Leo DiCaprio. Not acceptable.