The media are predictably focusing on the businesses that are being attacked and trying to frame this as if it’s a horde of animals with no political cause whatsoever who just want to loot stuff.
The catalyst for this event was a police shooting of a 17 year old, but the political backdrop is an absolutely massive amount of discontent between the working class of the country and the wealthy.
The things that are getting targeted are overwhelmingly icons of the rich, or literally the financial institutions themselves. Businesses seen as serving the rich are in particular targeted, such as iconic high-fashion stores.
Yesterday(friday) the figures were as follows, tonight(saturday) they have been worse:
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250 bank branches were attacked last night. Some have been burned to the ground.
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31 police stations were attack, some are completely burned out.
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11 gendarmeries were attacked.
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Socialist symbols, phrases and agitprop are the primary form of graffiti being tagged everywhere
This isn’t mindless. This rage is an explosion that has built up ever since the yellow vests fought for fuel, or the workers fought for their pensions, on a backdrop of increasing cost of living and declining standards. All the while the businesses, hedgefunds and financial institutions post record profits.
The French population has been fighting with the state for a number of years now, and each battle they have hardens them a little more, grants thousands of people actual experience in battle with the state, and then they take that experience into the next inevitable battle. Thousands go to prison each time, and these thousands eventually find their way back into the population where their time in prison now makes living in the current society impossible. They come out hardened by their experiences and ending the current society is literally in their best interests. If yet thousands more get added to that total, things will continue to escalate in France, year on year, there will be more catalysts and the number of radicals will rise and rise.
I see no off-ramp.
Oh shut up please. What a load of bullshit.
Getting woken up 3rd time this year, to a huge bonfire of burning cars. Targeting the rich? This is ridicoulous. A note I saw on a car that burned last night, something in the lines of “Thank you for burning my car, from a single mother with 3 children”. And you refuse to call that mindless
You are literally a fascist that was openly defending against the defederation of Exploding Heads. Your opinion is completely discardable, and nobody is fooled by your attempt to pretend otherwise.
Hey man, first relax. You are accusing me of being fascist because I was against defederating. What I am standing against is what you just said, that my opinion doesn’t matter. Even though I don’t agree with you I will never say that your opinion doesn’t matter, that is my stance against defederation. I don’t agree with what they are posting on exploding heads, but I don’t think their opinion doesn’t matter.
The paper from the car burned last night, it was a father not a mother my mistake. “Merci pour un papa seul que va bien galérer avec ses 3 enfants”. Do you think this person deserved to be left without a car, while he was struggling bringing up 3 children? Did he have anything to do with the killing of Nahel? Why is he the one that is getting the consequences?
Edit: I was using harsh words in the first comment, I was still under the impression for what was happening outside.
Did he have anything to do with the killing of Nahel? Why is he the one that is getting the consequences?
I’m pretty sure the people protesting against police violence and those who take advantage of the chaos to burn cars aren’t the same people.
I don’t think this car was burned as a protestation against the murder of Nael.
Maybe it would be better if the government listened to the people and reformed the police to prevent such incidents, also not force laws that 70% of the population don’t want. If protesting wasn’t need, these guys wouldn’t be presented with an opportunity to burn cars and smash windows.
More repression will only amplify the problem, all we can do is wait for the next presidential election and hope it won’t be as catastrophic as the last one, and maybe we will even have someone who will do something pour que les papa seuls soient moins en galère pour s’occuper de leurs enfants.
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