Protest march in Paris last saturday

O

Olivier

The Force is Strong With This One
Hello all,

It's been some time since I last posted, and this step is a heavy one, so I'll try it with just a small observation.

I went to Paris last saturday with my family, to take part to the protest march against the French government (the main topic was retirement's law, but discussing with people, it seems that "unbearable policies" is a common reason why people came to the march (having the government's treatment of gipsies in mind)).

This kind of march doesn't seem to have much effect so far, but it seems to help people realise they are not as isolated as the propaganda would like them to believe. It is one of those rare moments where human relations feel "back to normality".

Regards.
 
Hi Olivier,

It is good to hear from you again. Kudos to you and your family for participating in the protests. If would like to share more about the event, many people I'm sure will find it interesting.

welcome back!
 
Yes, the media sure works overtime to make people who don't like what is going on to feel alone. Fake polls, fake numbers of protesters. We read an article in the paper today where a French police chief complained that the numbers of protesters was being underreported in the news.
 
They have been discrediting the figures given by the CGT (General Confederation of Labor, a major confederation of trade unions), and add the "official" figures which are, needless to say, much smaller.

It is really hard to believe that such a high percentage of the population supports the government, when all you hear all the time is how much they hate it. Where is that supposed majority? No coincidence, IMO, that the Government is now constantly releasing articles about imminent terrorist threats. It's either inducing fear or losing all control. :evil:
 
Laura said:
Yes, the media sure works overtime to make people who don't like what is going on to feel alone. Fake polls, fake numbers of protesters. We read an article in the paper today where a French police chief complained that the numbers of protesters was being underreported in the news.
Click to expand...

True. The only occurrence I can remember of the police finding the same figure as protest movements is back in 2002 when the far right got a seat for the second round of presidential election, facing chirac. But at the time, huge numbers where in the interest of the PtB. It just shows that this is not only a matter of counting methods, but also of aims.

What I can say from direct observation is that the crowd was quite strong, with people from all ages (kids to elders), different but equally shocked by the way the government behaves, and that even though the situation is dire, people keep a keen sense of humour and a high level of creativity (I enjoyed for instance to hear a re-worded version of Carla's song "someone told me", just changing "that you still loved me" into "that you were still working" to protest the retirement age reform). Even if the protests don't have any political effect, they help people keep trusting each other, and keep faith in normal human nature. It is something highly valuable, IMHO, and it reminds me of Lobaczewski's mention of the beneficial effect of a walk in the mountains to shake the mesmerizing effects of propaganda and restore normal values.

Regards.
 
It's wonderful to see that French people don't want to be obedient sheeps. I can only wish my fellow countrymans did something like you did because our government is preparing changes in pension legislation with intention to equalize women with men, that is minimum of 65 years of age for retirement no difference, although man are already at 65! There is little organized opposition and seems it would be accepted with obedience and false justification that this "measure" is necessary due prolonged lifespan, it's just demography, they say, not the fact that pension funds are robbed!

Fraternité! Égalité! Liberté!
 
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