Situation in France

[StarSong]

"Punish one, educate one hundred" (Mao).
The same in Germany during the Corona protests.
If I remember it right, someone slapped Macron in the face and got a three year imprisonment.

There's a big difference between assault and battery and calling someone a name, don't you think?

 

[George1959]

There's a big difference between assault and battery and calling someone a name, don't you think?

That's exactly the point I'm referring to. If a slap results in three years imprisonment, then one year for calling him a name is too much.

 

[Don M.]

It seems the people, all over the world, are becoming increasingly "frustrated". France, Germany, and Israel have all had "uprisings" in recent weeks...largely due to unpopular decisions from their governments. Even Russia had protests over the war with Ukraine....which probably put hundreds of them in jail. Here, the "Trump" event tomorrow could very well result in another round of unrest. The world just seems to be getting crazier every year.

 

[StarSong]

According to Forbes, she's facing a $13,000 fine. No mention of imprisonment.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/mattno...-president-filth-on-facebook/?sh=17fdc15373d7

 

[Jules]

A search for this story lead me to Reddit. I can’t copy any of the thread, so I’m paraphrasing.

According to one French man, the lady took a photo of herself in front of graffiti and posted it to Facebook. A local policeman decided on his own to charge her with an archaic law that’s still on the books. Makes good, sensationalist clickbait.

 

[George1959]

It seems the people, all over the world, are becoming increasingly "frustrated". France, Germany, and Israel have all had "uprisings" in recent weeks...largely due to unpopular decisions from their governments. Even Russia had protests over the war with Ukraine....which probably put hundreds of them in jail. Here, the "Trump" event tomorrow could very well result in another round of unrest. The world just seems to be getting crazier every year.

Don, so it is!

 

[George1959]

According to Forbes, she's facing a $13,000 fine. No mention of imprisonment.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/mattno...-president-filth-on-facebook/?sh=17fdc15373d7

Well, a $ 13,000 fine is a lot of money nevertheless.

 

[Jean-Paul]

"we have gotten off topic here. How are you doing?"

FR: Chère Madame Lilac, merci beaucoup pour vos gentilles notes. Je suis désolée pour mon long silence !
Je vais bien, mais je suis incroyablement occupée par la maison, les affaires, legales, et la préparation du voyage.
_______________

EN: Dear Ms. Lilac, thank you very much for your kind notes. Sorry for my long silence!
I'm well, but incredibly busy with my home, business, legal, and travel planning.

At Paris the strikes, demonstrations, attacks on police and riots continue and disrupt fuel, transport, garbage.
The dangerous electric scooter rentals stop in August after a 90% vote against them.

About the long notes here on retirement age and social security, this is a separate and huge topic, and not in my intent.
I comment that tradition in France is very high taxes and very great social benefits...health, education, transport......

I am Happy to send more Paris photos, news events, or to write about about life in Paris 6eme.

I wish to all please to have an ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC DAY!

Amicalment!

Jon

(PS: images (C) 2022/2023: WSJ, BBC, Jean-Paul)

 

[StarSong]

Well, a $ 13,000 fine is a lot of money nevertheless.

Agreed. That's what she's facing, but her trial is mid-June so we'll have to see what the judge has to say.

 

[Lilac]

@Jean-Paul, I am glad to hear from you & that you are doing well. The photos you send of Paris are beautiful & please keep posting them.

I always enjoy hearing the news from the people's point of view & what is happening where they live. The news doesn't always tell the entire story of what the citizens are experiencing.

I am curious about the electric scooter rental. Are they dangerous because of the people riding them or is there a problem with the battery catching fire like with some electric cars?

 

[OneEyedDiva]

I applaud the French for protesting that which is so wrong, but as always, it's not good when protests turn violent and property is damaged. Although, one has to wonder how much of the escalation to that point is exacerbated by police response.

 

[Jean-Paul]

Rebonjour chère Madame Lilac!
>>>I am curious about the electric scooter rental.

The streets of Paris, like other large EU cities, are VERY dangerous for pedestrians,

The many Regular bikes and scooters ignore traffic lights, travel at high speed, sometimes on sidewalks and often in opposite direction to traffic, and with two riders. Many scooter drivers are simultaneously looking at the ever present mobiles or distracted by music.

A bike or scooter collision with seniors, disabled, infants is very serious and frequent. Already several pedestrians are killed by scooters collisions, often the driver just zooms away....

Like a pilot, I navigate with extreme caution, for these lethal hazards.

Besides the rental scooters are littered and discarded everywhere even in parks and the Seine, and disfigure our beautiful city.

Last Sunday's Paris vote was 90% to ban (rental) scooters despite huge Scooter firm's money spent to defeat.

I would ban ALL scooters....and impose EU 1000 police fines....

The hazard of Lithium battery fires and cheap Chinese chargers is a separate issue.

Amicalment!

Jon

 

[Pepper]

I applaud the Parisians for banning electric scooters for all the reasons you mentioned. Here, in NYC it is the opposite with the Mayor standing behind it's use. So dangerous, they go on the sidewalks too!

 

[Jean-Paul]

Chere OneEyeDIVA

" it's not good when protests turn violent ... one has to wonder how much of the escalation to that point is exacerbated by police response".

FR Ainsi, mes amis et mes relations au sein du gouvernement français, de la police et de la sécurité font de leur mieux pour protéger tous les citoyens français.

EN So, my friends and connections in French Government, police and security do their very best to protect all French citizens.

They maintain peace and security, especially at the many strikes, demonstrations and protests in France, ("Manifestations, Grieves)

I am proud of our National Police and Gendarmerie who are are very fair and hard working in a hazardous occupation.

The "Black Blocks", Anarchists, radicals, Communists , are fully armed and have battle gear protections. These criminals penetrate a peaceful a protest and hurl bricks, acid and molotov cocktails at the police, who are limited in defending themselves.

A Paris police friend assigned at the protests has been injured and can testify the true situation.
The last thing a Policer wants is to provoke anyone!

BRAVO to the French Police, Gendarmerie, Security!


Have an ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC day!

VIVE LA FRANCE!

Jean-Paul

 

[Jean-Paul]

Rebonjour, the Cafe Bistro Rotunde is just 10 min from me, I pass this café frequently.
So horrible to see the historic and beautiful restaurant in flames and defaced.

Besides blockage of airport roads, food and fuel delivery, Thursdays the strikers and rioters burned a financial firm HQ Black Rock, and attacked the police including bricks, firebombs, Molotov's, and acid. .

At moment, I am away from Paris, but I fear for my return and the status in my building.

Bon courage!


Jon

 

[StarSong]

@Jean

Rebonjour, the Cafe Bistro Rotunde is just 10 min from me, horrible to see the beuatiful resturant in flaes and difaced.
I passed this cafe of Macron frequently.

Besides blockage of airport roads, food and fuel delivery, Thursdays the strikers and rioters burned a financial firm HQ Black Rock, and attacked the police. For the moment, I am away from Paris, I fear for my return and the status in my building.

Bon courage!


Jon

I'm so sorry to learn this, @Jean-Paul. How horribly disheartening for you and many Parisians.

Has there been no let up the striking, demonstrating and rioting? Our news hasn't run articles on it, it so I'd naively thought it had melted away.

Please keep us posted and above all, stay where you'll be safe.

 

[WhatInThe]

Apparently their protest included a raid on BlackRock's office in Paris. An investment company that controls alot of private retirement plans

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/paris-france-protests-blackrock_n_642eebbce4b0859acb92f874

 

[OneEyedDiva]

Chere OneEyeDIVA

" it's not good when protests turn violent ... one has to wonder how much of the escalation to that point is exacerbated by police response".

FR Ainsi, mes amis et mes relations au sein du gouvernement français, de la police et de la sécurité font de leur mieux pour protéger tous les citoyens français.

EN So, my friends and connections in French Government, police and security do their very best to protect all French citizens.

They maintain peace and security, especially at the many strikes, demonstrations and protests in France, ("Manifestations, Grieves)

I am proud of our National Police and Gendarmerie who are are very fair and hard working in a hazardous occupation.

The "Black Blocks", Anarchists, radicals, Communists , are fully armed and have battle gear protections. These criminals penetrate a peaceful a protest and hurl bricks, acid and molotov cocktails at the police, who are limited in defending themselves.

A Paris police friend assigned at the protests has been injured and can testify the true situation.
The last thing a Policer wants is to provoke anyone!

BRAVO to the French Police, Gendarmerie, Security!


Have an ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC day!

VIVE LA FRANCE!

Jean-Paul

"I am proud of our National Police and Gendarmerie who are are very fair and hard working in a hazardous occupation."
I'm glad you feel you can be proud of your police. In so many places here that is not the case. Several officers in my town were brought up on corruption charges for illegal stops, fleecing their detainees and planting drugs. I'm glad they were caught and punished. Other U.S. towns have issues as well. More of them are being reported these days.

 

[George1959]

"I am proud of our National Police and Gendarmerie who are are very fair and hard working in a hazardous occupation."
I'm glad you feel you can be proud of your police. In so many places here that is not the case. Several officers in my town were brought up on corruption charges for illegal stops, fleecing their detainees and planting drugs. I'm glad they were caught and punished. Other U.S. towns have issues as well. More of them are being reported these days.

The same in Germany. The police was a shame in putting down the peaceful protests against the excessive corona measures, often using much violence even against the older protesters. Not in every city but especially in Berlin.

 

[Lilac]

... Although, one has to wonder how much of the escalation to that point is exacerbated by police response.

Why isn't the escalation of trouble placed on the individuals and/or group breaking the law & always on the ones upholding the law?

I'm glad you feel you can be proud of your police. In so many places here that is not the case. Several officers in my town were brought up on corruption charges for illegal stops, fleecing their detainees and planting drugs. I'm glad they were caught and punished. Other U.S. towns have issues as well. More of them are being reported these days.

Very sad when all law enforcement is being painted as bad with one broad stroke. It seems that consistently this has become the norm, to make all responsible for a few.

It's not surprising that good men & women, who would do an excellent job in this profession, no longer want to apply. Not only when they are going to be condemned for the supposed actions of others, but just for doing the job they were hired & expected to do.

 

[seadoug]

Apparently the French are getting pretty used to the situation.

French diners sip wine as fires break out in protest against Macron​

By
Ronny Reyes
March 26, 2023 3:12pm

Laissez faire?
Diners at a French cafe could be seen casually enjoying a glass of wine next to a flaming pyre of garbage amid riots against President Emmanuel Macron’s pension reform.
The viral video, posted on TikTok, shows the outdoor seating area at the Place de la Victoire, in Bordeaux, where rioters set fire to the roads on Thursday, the most violent day of the protests.
While many looked on at the scene and others hurried away, one couple seated at the restaurant appeared to pay it little mind, focusing instead on their wine and conversation.
Another couple is then seen taking seats at the table next to them, with the woman nonchalantly placing her coat over her chair as she keeps her eyes glued to her phone and not the fire nearby.

Her male companion, however, appears to be more worried about the spectacle behind him, opting to move his chair so he could have a clear view of it.
Throughout the video, the fire could be seen flaring up at times and sending embers flying up high, but the diners remained unfazed.

 

[OneEyedDiva]

Why isn't the escalation of trouble placed on the individuals and/or group breaking the law & always on the ones upholding the law?

Very sad when all law enforcement is being painted as bad with one broad stroke. It seems that consistently this has become the norm, to make all responsible for a few.

It's not surprising that good men & women, who would do an excellent job in this profession, no longer want to apply. Not only when they are going to be condemned for the supposed actions of others, but just for doing the job they were hired & expected to do.

Nothing I wrote painted all cops as bad cops! And I simply asked the question about if the officers contributed to the escalation, which has been the case in some incidences whether you choose to acknowledge it or not. In fact, several months ago I started a thread about good cops. Funny thing is, threads about good don't seem to get as many replies as things about bad/negative events. BTW...there were four police officers in my family over the years, one of whom became a detective. Now there is another..my nephew via marriage.

I also had a friend who left the force because he saw so much sh*t going on that just wasn't right. Then you have the "blue code" that pretty much intimidates good cops into going along with and/or covering up for the bad ones because doing otherwise is considered disloyal and causes those who don't to be shunned by fellow officers.

 

[Jean-Paul]

Re-bonjour a tous: Je vous souhaite à tous de bonnes vacances de printemps.

Hello again: I wish you all a good spring vacation.
First of all, I request to please focus here on the news and situation in France. Please can we place political arguments in a separate topic/thread.

We have strikes and demonstrations every few years in France (since French Revolution). Since the first "yellow vests" some years ago, it has evolved to be much more violent and widespread. But the French have learned to adapt and find a way to enjoy life despite the bad situations. During the worst Covid 2020..2021, most in Paris fled the city to their Country /Vacations houses in Province, Normandy, etc.

For the protests, a root cause is that the tradition in France is great Government benefits, which are not sustainable in the long run.
M. Macron's solutions are very damaging and his manner of government ("Jupiterian") is regal and ignores the common folks.
His background (degrees elite schools, banker, financier) does not help.

I wish to you all an ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC Holiday weekend!

VIVE LA FRANCE!
Jean-Paul

PS: Just few images Jardin du Luxembourg, La Siene, Alps Lac
Your comments, thoughts and feedbacks are appreciated!

 

[Lilac]

@Jean-Paul, is there anyone else within the government who has different ideas on how to go about fixing this problem?

 

[Jules]

@Jean-Paul, while these riots and fire are happening, are there simultaneous thefts happening? In other words, are crooks encouraging this behaviour just so they can steal.