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posted by takyon on Monday December 03 2018, @03:59AM   Printer-friendly
from the "I-love-Paris-when-it-sizzles" dept.

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.


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  • (Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 03 2018, @05:05PM (4 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 03 2018, @05:05PM (#769192)

    "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)."

    run, run little pig. what a suck ass you are, RandomFactor.

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  • (Score: 2) by RandomFactor on Monday December 03 2018, @10:37PM (1 child)

    by RandomFactor (3682) Subscriber Badge on Monday December 03 2018, @10:37PM (#769323) Journal

    I threw that in there so someone that didn't particularly want to see beat down porn would know it wasn't. Sorry to disappoint /shrug

    --
    В «Правде» нет известий, в «Известиях» нет правды
    • (Score: 2) by etherscythe on Monday December 10 2018, @05:12PM

      by etherscythe (937) on Monday December 10 2018, @05:12PM (#772423) Journal

      I read it as such, and appreciated it. While there are definite problems with SOME police overstepping their authority and not acting in the public interest, there's no reason to wish harm on a random member of that group. Some of those folks are truly there trying to make the world a better place, and I think it's good to remember they're human beings occasionally worthy of compassion. Given the benefit of the doubt, this one was just trying to keep the peace: compare to participating in a no-knock raid at the wrong address. If we oversimplify our view, we make room for monsters to co-opt our message and justify atrocity, which leaves us partially responsible.

      --
      "Fake News: anything reported outside of my own personally chosen echo chamber"
  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by bob_super on Tuesday December 04 2018, @12:05AM (1 child)

    by bob_super (1357) on Tuesday December 04 2018, @12:05AM (#769342)

    Policeman is a job.

    Gotta love how many Americans idolize Servicemen who kill kids in other countries over dumb shit, while hating the cops who protect their own kids from drunk drivers.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 04 2018, @12:53AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 04 2018, @12:53AM (#769360)

      I guess they only identify with the drivers and not the dead kids. Call it a survivors bias.