r/worldnews • u/Slight_Sherbert_5239 • 1h ago
Looting, blazes and clashes in France amid nationwide protests
https://www.afp.com/en/looting-blazes-and-clashes-france-amid-nationwide-protests•
u/SweetAlyssumm 40m ago
We'll see if these protests are any more effective than the retirement age protests of 2023. The retirement age was raised by two years. Although there was some grandfathering for people born before 1969. In other words the old people won again! And younger people lost.
•
u/RollingDownTheHills 1h ago
The usual oppertunistic idiots are at it again. Utterly shameful. This has nothing to do with the student protests.
•
u/SufficientGolf6953 24m ago
It's why humans can never have anything nice. The lowest common denominator will always hold us back.
•
u/totallyRebb 56m ago
Wonder if some Rubels flowed here. Russia would definitely have an interest in this type of thing.
•
u/Longjumping_Box_5660 1h ago
I was in France twice in my life and both times there were protests which turned into riots.
I get there are underlying reasons and actors and what not but honestly they seem to take their “protests” extremely seriously… Maybe too much
•
u/Rightsidebestside 54m ago
These are not protests, these are riots which will only give bigger popularity to LePen
•
u/LustLiveXBL 1h ago
The alternative is a docile population that governments don’t fear and take advantage of. A population that isn’t dangerous is not respected.
•
u/UH1Phil 1h ago edited 44m ago
But a population that doesn't respect democracy and doesn't understand that change doesn't happen overnight, nor engages in local politics but rather burns down a 150 year old municipal building and loots local stores trying to survive, isn't something that should really be respected either.
There's a middle ground here for both the government and the people. You don't have to be an idiot as a politician. You don't have to be an idiot as a protester, either. Both have responsibility.
Young people there (according to the article linked) doesn't engage in local politics because they start with a distrust of politicians. Rather than trying to change things or engage, it's of course easier to torch things down because "protests lol".
Edit: I'm certain this extreme disparity between politicians and people, are of course fanned on by for example Russia as they love a divided and weak Europe.
•
u/dexterstrife 58m ago
"Local stores" I dunno what you saw but in my city it was mostly big chains. An police let them do it.
•
•
u/knightsone43 55m ago
Classic Reddit take and I’m left leaning. These aren’t protests they are straight up riots and anarchy.
•
u/IndividualSkill3432 1h ago
The alternative is a docile population that governments don’t fear and take advantage of. A population that isn’t dangerous is not respected.
Or you could have a normal government that reflects the voters wishes like most other advanced economies manage. The idea you need to allow the far left to riot otherwise you cannot have a society like say Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Netherlands etc is nonsense.
•
u/Longjumping_Box_5660 1h ago
It doesn’t have to be either of the extremes. A lot of middle ground there to play with.
Shutdowns, economic pressure and so on. Sure - sometimes force is necessary but to use it as default just delegitimises your claims and turns a good bit of the population- the ones who aren’t on the street, against you.•
u/nithrean 1h ago
How does burning a civilization to the ground help things?
•
1h ago edited 1h ago
[deleted]
•
u/Correct_Special2215 56m ago
Tu crois que les gens qui manifestent sont des ouvriers ou des petits bourgeois.
La France est le pays plus socialiste de l’OCDE (1er en dépense sociale par rapport au PIB). Si la France est un pays autoritaire, c’est plus l’URSS de Staline que le Chili de Pinochet…
•
u/sarges_12gauge 40m ago
If they protest all the time and things still get worse for them… maybe protesting hasn’t been a good and sufficient approach after all
•
u/Settra_Rulez 1h ago
Voting is the way to effect change in a liberal republic. Protesting is valid, too. Riots aren’t protests and should be condemned by everyone.
•
u/MiddleAgedSponger 1h ago
In theory voting should work. In American we have unequal representation among citizens from different states. We have weaponized Gerrymandering. We have the filibuster which only seems to come into play when it something for the people. Representatives of as little as 11% of the US population can filibuster most bills.
The US is a democracy on in the loosest sense.
•
u/Due_Ad_1114 35m ago
Great but we are talking about france and they don't have that issue but they are still rioting and burning things down. If anything they have less of a reason to riot and to fix things through voting
•
u/MiddleAgedSponger 29m ago
The French have 6 weeks of paid vacation a year and decent social safety net. They riot when people try to take that away from them. They are not perfect, but they stick up for one another.
Americans get shit on by the Epstein class and half the population asks to be shit on more.
The question isn't why are the French rioting, the question is why aren't the Americans rioting?
The answer is that for all the patriotism and bravado, American's really are just sad little lazy cowards . They are sitting at home as their democracy and futures are being destroyed by those that will never have enough.
•
u/Settra_Rulez 52m ago
Citizens can elect representatives that want to end the filibuster. Trump won the popular vote last time, not just the electoral college. The problem with the US is an abysmal voter turnout. You can’t say that the problem is structural when such a high percentage of US citizens don’t bother voting at all.
•
u/MiddleAgedSponger 39m ago
Cool story. California has 39.5 million residents. 62.1% of the eligible population voted. 2 Senators
Wyoming has 578,753 residents and 61.3 of the eligible population voted. 2 senators.
It's structural whether you think I can say it or not. It takes the smallest 22 states to add up to California's population. Voters from high population states vote's count less than those from less populated states.
The system is a farce and that's why people are so apathetic. Voter turnout has been trending higher so the Republicans have stepped up voter suppression and the Democrats couldn't find the votes for a voting rights act.
•
u/TrickeyHare501 32m ago
Oh, so the problem is you not understanding the difference between the senate and the House.
•
u/MiddleAgedSponger 27m ago
Nice Try, we can explain the structural problems with the house as well if you want.
California has a house rep for every 798k citizens
Wyoming has a house rep 577K citizens
•
u/helltothenonononono 14m ago
The vote didn’t go your way? It’s creaky but the House and Senate were set up so that one area wouldn’t dictate policy to another. Because different interests.
•
u/MiddleAgedSponger 7m ago
Areas don't vote, people do. Why Should 270 million people be told what to do by 30 million?
•
u/helltothenonononono 20m ago
DSA eh? Get rid of Supreme Court, Senate, Police and prisons? We’ll all be kumbaya under the Red Guards redux?
•
u/MiddleAgedSponger 8m ago
Or add more representatives to the house, overturn citizens united and pass a voting rights bill. The fact that republicans are opposed to allowing more people to vote says a lot about how they feel about democracy,
•
u/nacho_night 34m ago
"A riot is the language of the unheard"
-MLK Jr
•
u/DrabCadre2 21m ago
People say this then ignore that he also said rioting is counterproductive and turns people against your message
•
u/qlohengrin 40m ago
No, the possible alternatives include a functional democracy like neighboring Switzerland, which actually functions and is fiscally viable, unlike France. When you have regular rioting the sum of whose demands amount to demanding money grow on trees - that’s how the far right wins on law and order ticket.
•
u/SufficientGolf6953 22m ago
Try that shit in Iran or Russia and you will see a government that truly gives zero fucks about you
•
•
u/BrotherlyShove791 1h ago
cough cough AMERICANS cough cough
•
u/NlghtmanCometh 1h ago
Do you not remember the George Floyd protests?
•
u/tempted_toast 58m ago
And they demonize that and use it to divide the population even more so there’s that
•
u/NlghtmanCometh 56m ago
I mean the person was saying Americans roll over and take it/never engage in meaningful protest, which is demonstrably false. Of course there is going to be a section of the population on the other side of the protest, which is no different to France.
•
u/tempted_toast 53m ago
You’re right. And I think the only thing that would bring us to that point is a mass casualty event from Ice, national guard or something and footage was everywhere. Rn, it’s peaceful protest to get people aware and the show in numbers who’s against this regime no matter what social media wants you to believe.
•
•
•
u/tactiturn2018 1h ago
Such as the current population of the "...land of the free and home of the brave"? A land citizens proudly espouse gives them the right to bear arms, which are very available, should they need to revolt against a government gone awry.
•
u/ripndipp 1h ago
550k people at a protest is no joke, shit must suck ass there and a good chunk of people are tired of it, I don't feel bad for the looted Apple store, not in the slightest.
•
•
u/rubyredwisp 1h ago
There is so much rage and pain in the world, I'm glad some of it is starting to come out. We can't keep living with it.
•
u/IndividualSkill3432 1h ago
Burning down city halls is not "pain". Its just anarchy for the vibes.
•
u/knightsone43 53m ago
Just like looting the Louis Vuitton store. That will really show the government
•
u/sarges_12gauge 39m ago
No you see causing other people pain is what makes him glad, unlike him they don’t matter
•
u/Correct_Special2215 52m ago
Les gens qui ont la rage et chantent des chants à la gloire des attentats du bataclan ou de Mohammed Merah, ça te rend content.
T’es un peu chelou
•
u/cyclemonster 1h ago
Sometimes I wish we in Canada knew how to protest like the French
•
u/Correct_Special2215 54m ago
Pourquoi pas - Les manifestations des gilets jaunes ont été le déclencheur pour l’augmentation du deficit, la hausse du chomage et une diminution de la croissance.
Si vous souhaitez importer ces problèmes au Canada, ne vous gênez pas !
•
u/cyclemonster 46m ago
I don't necessarily want to import any specific problems into Canada, but I think the Government should be a little bit afraid of the people whom they govern. I think that a healthy fear of the people might prevent some problems in the future.
•
u/madmanmark111 58m ago
Yea, where's those truckers now that we actually do face a hostile threat to the integrity of our country? Fucking shameful self serving asswipes.
•
•
u/ThrowawayAICS 1h ago
The 140 year old town hall in limogenes just burnt down completely.
The rioters are singing songs glorifying the terrorist attack on bataclan.
Anyone still pretending it has anything to so with textbooks is a fucking moron