Police battle anti-Sarkozy protesters

[Freddie Stubbs]

Source: News.com.au

RIOT police fired tear gas at stone-throwing protesters gathered in central Paris today to demonstrate against the presidential election victory of right-winger Nicolas Sarkozy.

The clashes took place on the Place de la Bastille where about 5000 supporters of the defeated Socialist candidate Segolene Royal had gone to await the election results, an AFP journalist said.

Up to 300 rioters, some of whom were masked, made running attacks on riot police who took up positions at the entrance to boulevards leading onto the square.

Earlier a small crowd of protesters, brandishing black and red anarchist flags, set fire to an effigy of Mr Sarkozy in the square before tearing it limb from limb and then stamping on it.

Read more: http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,21684341-38200,00.html?from=public_rss

[Adsos Letter]

1. ahhhh...the French...n/t

[Lint Head]

2. They have the best damn health care system in the world.

No one goes without health care. There is no one waiting to die because they cannot afford to pay for treatment of anything. :dem:

[IndianaGreen]

4. Soon to be replaced by an American-style HMO

Nothing like American values to create a new world in which the few dominate the many!

[fshrink]

14. The street won't let that happen.

As usual in France's history.

[cigsandcoffee]

7. Looks like they'll need it. n/t

[Glorfindel]

3. I know how they feel. I wish more citizens of the USA had that kind of righteous rage

and I wish the French hadn't elected that right-wing extremist as their president. Has the whole world gone mad?

[alcibiades_mystery]

8. Sarkozy is not right-wing

Sarkozy is Sarkozy-wing.

That's what makes him dangerous.

[IndianaGreen]

11. Bush needs a new poodle to replace the retiring Blair

Why not a French poodle?

[cigsandcoffee]

13. Violence is not "righteous rage"

...and is certainly not an acceptable way to protest a lost election.

[Mz Pip]

15. What was the turn out in France?

80%? They voted. This is what they got. Elections have consequences but I think it is a bit too soon to predict what those will be.

Mz Pip
:dem:

[IndianaGreen]

5. So soon?

This is an appetizer of what is yet to come. If this neoliberal pig thinks he is going to turn France into another Bush Amerika he is in for a very rude awakening.

[dave_p]

6. Vive la Différence!

... doubtless it's only the beginning. At least the French know how to do these things properly. France just wouldn't be France without it.

[KamaAina]

9. A bas "Georges Buisson"!

even the real "George Bush" never (or hasn't yet) referred to people of color protesting his jackbooted tactics as racaille -- "scum"! :grr:

Mais pourquoi? Mais pourquoi?

edit: software won't take French-style angle-bracket quotes in header

[ChazII]

10. Interesting reading

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/59A44D58-0BB9-4EEC-9BB1-37211368476D.htm


Disagreeing friends

Sarkozy told the US "that France will always be by their side when they will need her".

Violence flares in Paris
"But I want to tell them as well that friendship is accepting that one's friends can act differently, and that a great nation like the United States has the duty to not obstruct the fight against global warming but on the contrary to head this struggle because what is at stake is the future of all humanity. France will make this struggle its first struggle."

[Canuckistanian]

12. No one could have predicted this

:sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm:

[NaturalHigh]

16. Rioting is hardly an appropriate way to protest an election.

The people voted. Just because their side lost is no excuse for reacting violently.

[Gloria]

17. Lively bunch....could use them here!!!!

[Catalyst]

18. The Police

Would beat that attitude out of the public in a day if it happened here.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

19. What? Sore losers who throw rocks whenever they don' t like...

...the results of an election? Yeah, that'll go over real well.

[Tuttle]

20. Moonies!

From an article linked at HuffPo

Some lowered their trousers to bare their backsides at riot officers with shields.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20070506/eu-pol-france-election-violence

Tut-tut

[Odin2005]

21. How typically French

Not that I like Sarkozy, but rioting just because you your candidate lost a free and fair election is just stoooooooopid.