France is a global superpower, that is no stranger to public uprisings. After several missteps, France is now facing a growing unstable political situation amid massive protests over President Emmanuel Macron’s abuse of power, and growing neglect of the rights of its people.
“There is generally a sense of anger and frustration in the French population and the increasing feeling of disengagement with decision-makers and disconnect,”
says Tara Varma, a visiting fellow at the institution’s Center of the United States and Europe and author of the Brookings piece. “And I think that’s very true for Macron.”
Earlier this year, France was rocked with protests over Macron’s decision at the time to raise the country’s retirement age. And years prior, France’s “yellow vests” protests were rooted in the country’s divide between its poor, underserved communities and the wealthy class.
The pension reform demonstrations from earlier this year were marked by allegations of police brutality, according to the AP and other outlets. Police in France have been in hot water for years due to many other examples of deaths in custody and beatings by officers, as well as allegations of racial bias, according to The New York Times
Human rights advocates and a policing expert say protests over the fatal police shooting of a 17-year-old driver in France have again put a spotlight on police violence and issues of race.
The shooting of the teenager, identified only as Nahel, bears some similarity to traffic stop deaths involving people of color in the United States. The sometimes-violent French protests were sparked in part by a viral video, which shows two officers leaning into the driver-side window of a car seconds before one fired a gun as the driver sped away.
A top French official said on Friday that nearly 700 arrests were made the night before, during which the police faced “rare violence” after the death of a boy identified as Nahel, 17, on the outskirts of Paris.
These protests have stretched to towns and cities all around the country, including Lyon and Bordeaux. Fires have erupted amid some violent encounters, according to reports, prompting schools to close and public transit to shut down early.
The officer involved has since been given a preliminary charge of voluntary homicide, which means that magistrates strongly suspect wrongdoing but need to investigate further before sending a case to trial, according to the Associated Press.
The officer’s lawyer has said the officer aimed toward the driver’s leg but was bumped, causing the bullet to go instead toward Nahel’s chest. Prache added that the officer pulled the trigger because he wanted to prevent a car chase.
The protests in the wake of the shooting left some walls in France spray painted with the phrase “vengeance pour Nael,” which translates to revenge for Nahel.
Tara Varma eloquently stated:
“Now, protests are more about a feeling that representative democracy has been emptied out, by Macron and the administration, of all its substance,”
she adds.
“The pension reform was the spark that lit a bigger fire that had been kind of dormant before.”
Additionally, Macron’s policies are requiring the most vulnerable to make sacrifices, says Elizabeth Carter, an assistant professor of political science at the University of New Hampshire. But more than that, the moves are weakening France’s long-held social protections and ideals of liberty and equality, she adds.
Regarding pension reform, “The French perspective is, ‘this is part of our social pact. This is part of our social contract,’” Carter says. “‘We work hard. This is what the state has agreed to give us and this is why we’ve worked hard.’ And they see it as rescinding essential benefits that they had been promised. It’s more about identity.”
Regardless of the outcome, the events of the early months of 2023 have led France to a political turning point, analysts suspect. Alduy – noting the situation in Israel as an example – points to a rising sense in a number of democracies of a discrepancy between policies pushed by government elites and everyday people’s “real problems.”
This sort of popular discontent, she says, “can really pave the way for a truly populist movement to kind of feed on that discontent.”
The protesters are fueled by seeing “these fundamental values as under threat,” Carter adds.
“They think that they are protesting for the soul of France and they feel that way,” she says. “You can see this passion, or if you hear them… you can feel the depth of their rage.”
It is becoming clear that the growing global unrest is yet another stark reminder that people have had enough of the dishonesty and flagrant, unassuming interest in their basic needs. One of the signs of an awakening society is the realization that your needs and choices are externally being manipulated and controlled by a few who do not, and never have, had your best interest at Heart.
We, the people, naively gave our power away to a bunch of ego-driven narcissists who demand more and more and more. As in France, the powers that were, have the audacity to believe that their needs are more important than the needs of the people who entrusted them with the power to serve. Their insane hubris will soon become their Achilles Heel. We the people will make sure of that.
Our basic Human Rights are what bonds us together as a people and what gives us strength to overcome the massive power grab being initiated by a select few dictatorial maniacal assholes. This is our superpower and it will give us the inner strength to overcome and take back our sovereignty.
Liberté, égalité, fraternité!
PS
sources:
PARADIGM SHYFT 