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Thousands of "gilets jaunes" (yellow vest) protesters, often masked, riot in the streets of Paris and other major French cities for a third weekend. Hundreds have been arrested and injured (including police) in the often violent protests. Reuters documents the activities in some detail. This video shows a mob of protesters surround and attack a policeman (it's ok, he gets away, with help from one or more of the protesters).
The protests are over fuel taxes imposed to discourage fossil fuel use and help France meet its carbon emission goals under the Paris Climate Accord (which the U.S. is not party to.)
With the usual nod to common sense:
The U.S. embassy issued a statement urging citizens to be careful, saying that "violent clashes between police and protesters" continued in at least three of Paris's 20 districts, known as arrondissements. "Avoid all demonstrations, seek shelter in the vicinity of clashes, follow instructions of security personnel"
Chants and graffiti sprayed during the protests sometimes expresses frustration with the administration:
[Some] targeted the Arc de Triomphe, chanting "Macron Resign" and scrawling on the facade of the towering 19th-century arch: "The yellow vests will triumph."
And other times simply more general anarchistic statements:
Protesters smashed the windows of a newly opened flagship Apple Store (AAPL.O) and luxury boutiques of Chanel and Dior, where they daubed the slogan "Merry Mayhem" on a wooden board.
French President Emmanuel Macron commented Tuesday on the protests, saying that:
he understood the anger of voters outside France's big cities over the squeeze fuel prices have put on households. But he insisted he would not be bounced into changing policy by "thugs".
Those "conciliatory" words have no doubt improved the situation.
The protests enjoy widespread support inside and outside the major cities, including from many of the police even as they strive to keep order, and show no signs of abating.
Also at NBC.
(Score: 5, Interesting) by legont on Monday December 03 2018, @04:32AM (1 child)
Short answer - middle class. More precisely - former middle class.
As per political affiliations, yellow vests are moderates, but their are joined by ultra left and right.
"Wealth is the relentless enemy of understanding" - John Kenneth Galbraith.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by qzm on Monday December 03 2018, @09:24AM
The people who actually work to try and get somewhere, then see that being taken away by 'policy that is for their own good' and delivered to the elites and the troublemakers?
We have for some time had a rather 'interesting' form of capitalism in operation.
The elites get their cut because they own the political and media circuses.
The troublemakers get their cut so they dont rock the boat too hard - its the easiest way to keep them in check (and they are an easily controlled group, just thrown them a few more scraps).
Funnily enough, that also tends to be how real socialism works (except more people wind up dead or vanished, and the elites can get away with being a bit less subtle)
The middle class are always the ones who do the most and get the least, as unfashionable as it is to say that. they are the engine room, and it is a hot and hard place to be.
The problem is the ships officers are just looking out towards the promised world and demanding more speed, while the passengers dont even realise someone has to work to keep the ship running, so think its all a free ride ('government' money).
The only question is: what happens when the boiler expodes and wipes out all the working crew - how will the officers and passengers make the ship work?
For a country that took off the heads of their elites, and then replaced them rather quickly with a slightly different flavour, the French must be respected for their flair in protesting such things.
Unfortunately they tend not to carry through long enough - time will tell.