2.5 Million Protest in France

[TBF]

DOING WHAT IT TAKES:



The battle over a planned overhaul of France's pension system has intensified, with hundreds of thousands of people taking part in the latest of a series of protests across the country.

Labour unions said that more than 2.5 million people joined the demonstrations on Saturday as strikes at shut down oil refineries, sparking fears of a petrol shortage, and temporarily cut supplies to Paris's airports.

"Both sides seem to be really digging their heels in. Sarkozy wants people to know he's not giving into pressure from the street," Al Jazeera's Jacky Rowland, reporting from the French capital, said.

A broad alliance of unions, left-wing parties and students warned that another nationwide protest will be held on Tuesday in a final attempt to stop the legislation, which would raise the retirement age from 60 to 62 and see state pensions not awarded until aged 67, ahead of a government vote on Wednesday...

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/europe/2010/10/20101016161857806125.html

[TBF]

1. Images from France

?ts=1287319931

[femrap]

2. Thanks for the photos....

Yesterday, just by chance, I went into a Kohl's store. I occasionally visit to peruse their 80% off racks. And to my delight, I found a blue t-shirt w/ red and white lettering saying 'FRANCE' along w/ its emblem! I was so happy....and only $4. 100% cotton and NOT made in China!

I'm in France in spirit. Merci pour la/le photos. I have forgotten so much of my French.

[left is right]

5. Which only goes to show

why they enjoy single payer health care and we got “health insurance reform"

[Whisp]

18. that is true. we didn't do our part like Obama asked.

if there was outrage and support like the French have, things could be very different in so many ways.

but instead there was a mass demonstration of pouting and pounding Cap keys.

[TBF]

23. Some truth in that -

protests could've been bigger. However when they arrested doctors who protested not having a public option I kinda got the feeling the fix was in no matter what we did. I guess they want us to believe that even if it's not true ...

[Hannah Bell]

28. oh, please. that takes the cake.

one can't repeatedly attempt to squash criticism of the admin then call out the masses for their lack of protest.

[tblue37]

7. Americans could take a lesson! Of course, Americans are

also afraid that their militarized cops will repeatedly Tase them into cardiac arrest and beat them to death. We've seen it happen all too often--and the cops don't care how old, infirm, or innocent someone is. They'll do the beat-down and then claim that their victims "attacked" them and "resisted arrest," charging them with all sorts of crimes.

[TBF]

8. And you're probably right about that - we'd need crowds

of tens of millions to accomplish it. But there ARE more of us than them (the trick is that there are many people propping up the status quo even though it hurts them economically).

[kath]

20. Yep -- are there gazillions of French cops out in full riot gear, like there are for even small

protests here? How many French people were tased? (and how many of them die from tasing each year?)

I HATE the frickin' police state we're living in.

[TBF]

24. So far it appears that 30 police have been injured -

More pictures from the BBC: http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_4410000/newsid_4418400/4418480.stm

[maryf]

3. Thanks TBF!!!

This is where I find hope!! Time for us to take some serious notes!! That would translate to 10 million here! K&R!

[marmar]

4. Liberté, égalité, fraternité !!!!

There go those Surrender Monkeys again, exercising democracy while we watch from our couches.

[TBF]

6. Up from the couches -

health care didn't do it, but I think cuts to Social Security might possibly inspire folks here to actually do something. We'll see in the next two years.

[Name removed]

9. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Barack_America]

10. Nothing drives home how screwed our country is like this story.

You could flat-out end all entitlements here and not get anything approaching this response from our populace.

I'm praying that they manage to shut down Charles de Gaulle and make this story more mainstream.

[maryf]

11. Yes, if it impacts American travel it might seem "fit to print"

the msm avoids all international protests like France, Greece, Spain, et al...

[TBF]

12. You're right about that maryf,

if you do a google search for france and protests from the last 24 hours it brings up pages of stories about fuel. The only thing the msm is interested in is whether planes can get in & out of Paris - if there is enough fuel. That's it.

[maryf]

13. We gotta be the press...

:hi: thanks for doing your part...

[TBF]

14. Internationally the focus is on fuel -

France's petrol pumps could run dry by Wednesday, industry experts have warned, as airlines told pilots to refuel abroad and the stand-off over pension reform reached crunch point.

By Henry Samuel in Paris
Published: 5:35PM BST 17 Oct 2010

The country's oil industry association UFIP said that if strikes continued at all 12 of France's refineries then there would be national shortages.

Total, the French oil giant, said 350 to 400 petrol stations were experiencing supply disruptions out of a total of 13,000.

Shortages looked likely to further worsen as truckers pledged to halt road transport of fuel to filling stations from last night (Sun).

"We have found the means to cope with the worst moments of the crisis (so far) but we cannot hold out forever," warned Jean-Louis Schilansky, UFIP's president.

Striking workers continued to block the Fos-Lavera fuel terminal near Marseilles yesterday, where 61 ships and 47 petrol tankers are unable to offload.

The government has now authorised oil companies to eat into their own emergency stocks, but has not yet touched its strategic reserves, which have a three-week capacity.

On Saturday, the ecology ministry warned that Roissy Charles de Gaulle, France's main international airport, could run out of fuel by tonight (MON).

More at link: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/8069518/Frances-petrol-pumps-could-run-dry-by-Wednesday.html

[maryf]

15. Love to see the truckers in solidarity!!

"Shortages looked likely to further worsen as truckers pledged to halt road transport of fuel to filling stations from last night (Sun). "

tucked away in the article...

[felix_numinous]

16. The MSM non acknowledgement

shows exactly what they fear, solidarity.

[Starry Messenger]

17. k & r

[maryf]

19. kicking in Solidarity!

man I want to see this here!

[alittlelark]

21. Oddly, I heard that France is the target of a new terror threat....

Good timing. The intelligence on the terror threat came from Saudi Arabia (per CNN radio news a few minutes ago).

There was another terror alert for France 3-4 weeks ago (trying to stave off the protest???)

[TBF]

22. I wouldn't be surprised -

if that many people were in the street here they'd probably declare it a national emergency.

[donheld]

25. 2.5 Million x 50 Americans sitting on the sidelines whining with no action.

[blindpig]

26. Solidarity!

Our time will come, mebbe sooner than we think.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

27. Aww....They're just whiners from the professionnelle gauche.