Showing posts with label Paris France. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Paris France. Show all posts
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Monday, December 6, 2010
France awaits Eric Cantona's cashpoint bank revolution
The government has criticised the ex-footballer's call for the public to stage a mass cash-withdrawal protest
Angelique Chrisafis
Guardian
France is bracing for Eric Cantona's bank-run revolution Tuesday, with the government criticising his call for the public to stage a mass cash-withdrawal and the left questioning whether it would have much effect.
When the former Manchester United footballer gave a video interview in October calling on citizens to stage a cash-point revolution, protest groups against the financial system decided to coordinate a world-wide withdrawal on December 7, the number of Cantona's lucky shirt.
Asked about street demonstrations to protest against government austerity measures, Cantona said: "We have to change the way we do things nowadays. Talking of revolution, I don't mean we are going to pick up guns and go out to kill people. Revolution is very simple to do nowadays," he told the French paper Presse Ocean.
"What's the system? The system revolves around banks. The system is built on the banks' power. So it can be destroyed by the banks. Instead of having three million people going out to demonstrate with a placard, those three million people go to their bank branch, they withdraw their money and the banks crumble." He directed people: "You go to your bank in your village and you withdraw your money." But as tens of thousands of people signed up to the online campaigns led by a Franco-Belgian anti-bank protest group, the French government warned against "Eric Le Rouge" sticking his nose into economics.
Francois Baroin, the budget minister, said: "It would be funny if it wasn't so tragic." FCantona's call to arms was "grotesque" and "not serious". inance minister Christine Lagarde said witheringly: "There are those who play football magnificently, I wouldn't dare to try. I think it's best for everyone to stick to their own speciality." The director general of BNP Paribas deemed Cantona's appeal "ill-founded".
Cantona told the daily Liberation that he would heed his own call to withdraw money. "Given the strange solidarity that has sprung up, yes. On December 7, I'll be at the bank." Online supporters have pledged that they will either definitely or probably withdraw cash. They are aiming for a bank-run like that which hit the UK's Northern Rock in 2008.
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Activism in the Age of Tyranny and Terror
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| Eric Cantona calls for mass bank withdrawals to protest |
Guardian
France is bracing for Eric Cantona's bank-run revolution Tuesday, with the government criticising his call for the public to stage a mass cash-withdrawal and the left questioning whether it would have much effect.
When the former Manchester United footballer gave a video interview in October calling on citizens to stage a cash-point revolution, protest groups against the financial system decided to coordinate a world-wide withdrawal on December 7, the number of Cantona's lucky shirt.
Asked about street demonstrations to protest against government austerity measures, Cantona said: "We have to change the way we do things nowadays. Talking of revolution, I don't mean we are going to pick up guns and go out to kill people. Revolution is very simple to do nowadays," he told the French paper Presse Ocean.
"What's the system? The system revolves around banks. The system is built on the banks' power. So it can be destroyed by the banks. Instead of having three million people going out to demonstrate with a placard, those three million people go to their bank branch, they withdraw their money and the banks crumble." He directed people: "You go to your bank in your village and you withdraw your money." But as tens of thousands of people signed up to the online campaigns led by a Franco-Belgian anti-bank protest group, the French government warned against "Eric Le Rouge" sticking his nose into economics.
Francois Baroin, the budget minister, said: "It would be funny if it wasn't so tragic." FCantona's call to arms was "grotesque" and "not serious". inance minister Christine Lagarde said witheringly: "There are those who play football magnificently, I wouldn't dare to try. I think it's best for everyone to stick to their own speciality." The director general of BNP Paribas deemed Cantona's appeal "ill-founded".
Cantona told the daily Liberation that he would heed his own call to withdraw money. "Given the strange solidarity that has sprung up, yes. On December 7, I'll be at the bank." Online supporters have pledged that they will either definitely or probably withdraw cash. They are aiming for a bank-run like that which hit the UK's Northern Rock in 2008.
Read Full Article
RELATED ARTICLE:
Citizens of Europe Rage Against the Machine
Activism in the Age of Tyranny and Terror
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Friday, November 5, 2010
France To Sell China Nuclear Material, Technology
Associated Press
PARIS — France announced euro16 billion ($22.8 billion) in deals Thursday to sell uranium, technology and more than 100 Airbus planes to China, and the two countries also agreed to a sweeping strategic partnership on nuclear power.
Chinese President Hu Jintao's three-day state visit to France opened with a red carpet welcome, Chinese flags flying on the streets of Paris and dinner at the Elysee Palace – as well as a flurry of deals that made clear how much the countries' ties have improved.
It was a turnaround from the tense relations of two years ago, when French President Nicolas Sarkozy threatened to boycott the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics out of anger about China's treatment of Tibet.
That stance brought fears that France could lose big business in China, and Sarkozy's tone has changed. To the distress of human rights groups, Sarkozy's advisers say he is avoiding confrontation and going for convergence.
Sarkozy said the two countries decided on "strategic cooperation without limits" on nuclear energy, from constructing plants to recycling fuel.
The deal expands on 30 years of nuclear cooperation between China and France, which gets about three-quarters of its electricity from nuclear power and has deep knowledge of the field.
Sarkozy and Hu looked on as business leaders signed contract after contract. The Airbus deal alone – which will see airlines including Air China, China Eastern and China Southern buy 102 of the European consortium's A320, A330 and A350 models – is worth around $14 billion.
France's Areva nuclear engineering firm said it would sell China Guangdong Nuclear Power Corp. 20,000 tons of uranium over a decade. The contract is worth around $3.5 billion dollars.
Cooperation is cultural as well: Paris' Louvre Museum and Beijing's Forbidden City agreed to work together on temporary exhibits and to share conservation and restoration techniques.
References to human rights have been subtle during the visit.
In a toast at a dinner table covered with gold ornaments and Champagne glasses, Sarkozy praised China's staggering recent development, adding: "The world is confidently waiting for (China) to take on all the responsibilities that accompany its rediscovered power."
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Sunday, October 24, 2010
Thank God for France
Counter Punch
Thank God for France. While American liberals tremble at the idea of sending an angry e mail to congress for fear that their name will appear on the State Department's list of terrorists, French workers are on the front lines choking on tear gas and fending off billyclubs in hand-to-hand combat with Sarkozy's Gendarmerie. That's because the French haven't forgotten their class roots. When the government gets too big for its britches, people pour out onto to the streets and Paris becomes a warzone replete with overturned Mercedes Benzs, smashed storefront windows, and stacks of smoldering tires issuing pillars of black smoke. This is what democracy looks like when it hasn't been emasculated by decades of propaganda and consumerism. Here's a blurp from the trenches:
Headline:
"French Energy Sector Crippled by Nationwide Strike... French energy facilities are close to total disruption in the wake of nationwide strike against the raise of the retirement age.....France has been hit by numerous protests across the country against a controversial pension reform that would rise the retirement age to 62 from 60....On October 22 morning 80 protesters blockaded Grandpuits oil refinery outside Paris, key supplier for Charles de Gaulle and Orly international airport." (The Financial)Shut 'em down.
Take note, Tea Party crybabies who moan about restoring "our freedoms" while stuffing the backyard bunker with seed corn and ammo. Glenn Beck won't save you from the "mean old" gov'mint. Liberty isn't free anymore. If you want it, get out of the barko-lounger and organize. The amount of freedom that any nation enjoys is directly proportionate to the amount of blood its people spilled fighting the state. No more, no less. The man who is willing to accept the blunt force of a cop's truncheon on his back is infinitely more praiseworthy than the leftist/rightist scribe crooning from the bleachers. The state isn't moved by lyrical editorials or prosaic manifestos. It responds to force alone, which is why it takes people who are willing to "throw themselves on the gears" of the apparatus and stop it from moving forward. Unfortunately, most of those people appear to live in France.
The resistance is steadily building in France. The budding rebellion is cropping up everywhere---"secondary schools, train stations, refineries and highways have been blockaded, there have been occupations of public buildings, workplaces, commercial centers, directed cuts of electricity, and ransacking of electoral institutions and town halls..." And the big unions are calling for more strikes, more agitation, more ferment.
For more than a week, transportation has been blocked across the France due to the protests by students and workers. Sarkozy's popularity has plummeted. 65% of people surveyed don't like the way the French president is handling the strikes. 79% of the people would like to see Sarkozy negotiate with the Union on terms and conditions, but he won't budge. Thus, the cauldron continues to boil while the prospect of violence rises.
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Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Violent Anarchists Help French Authorities Crush Pension Protests
Paul Joseph Watson
Infowars.com
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Infowars.com
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Violent anarchists in France who have spent the last week pointlessly smashing shop windows and setting fire to cars have “shot the protest movement in the foot” by demonizing legitimate union demonstrators and allowing the government to crackdown with paramilitary forces, according to a leading French labor expert.
The actions of rioting black-clad youths in cities such as Lyon and Paris have scuppered any chance of derailing government plans to raise the retirement age from 60 to 62, highlighting once again the fact that nihilistic communists who foolishly think they are the vanguard of some potent revolution are in fact the greatest ally of the state.
As we pointed out yesterday, there are two different groups protesting in France at the moment, those who are having a genuine impact, the union workers who have shut down entire areas of the country with fuel blockades, go-slow protests and picket lines and in doing so garnered the support of 70% of the country, and the idiot rent-a-mob anarcho-communists who will seize on any opportunity to run rampage in the deluded belief that they are standing up to the evil forces of capitalism by throwing a rock at a Starbucks window.
“The violence this week, amid huge country-wide strikes, blockades and demonstrations, has weakened the unions and played directly into the hands of the government, according to Bernard Vivier, director of France’s Higher Institute of Labour (a leading French thinktank),”reports France 24.
“The unions are embarrassed by this violence, which is led by anarchist elements of the unions who want to derail any attempts to negotiate with the government,” said Vivier.
“It has put the brakes on the unions’ momentum, while they themselves recognise that reforms to the pension system are needed,” he added. “These violent protesters want to do anything possible to stop negotiations, and their actions have shot the protest movement in the foot.”
The riots have provided French President Sarkozy with the perfect justification to send in paramilitary forces to clear blockades at France’s fuel depots, and have also made his refusal to negotiate with unions look like a reasonable response.
It appears that most of the “anarchists” who have tagged themselves on to the genuine union protests are in fact a remnant of the immigrants from France’s Muslim ghettos who rioted back in 2005, violent demonstrations that were widely opposed by the majority of the French people.
As we have documented numerous times before, you can always count on the gangs of balaclava-wearing morons to ruin the credibility and effectiveness of any good protest.
Indeed, on many occasions their staged media stunts are often allowed to occur unimpeded by authorities to provide the press with images of gratuitous violence which can they be played endlessly and used to demonize legitimate protesters.
We have documented numerous different examples where the black bloc anarchists were completely infiltrated by the authorities to provide a pretext for a police state crackdown.
The union workers in France should immediately distance themselves from the actions of the self-proclaimed anarchists if they are to have any hope of success.
Every time a car is set alight or a shop window shattered, the state gets another opportunity to castigate the entire protest movement as a hoard of violent extremists, and with it meter out a more brutal and oppressive police response.
—
Paul Joseph Watson is the editor and writer for Prison Planet.com. He is the author of Order Out Of Chaos
. Watson is also a fill-in host for The Alex Jones Show. Watson has been interviewed by many publications and radio shows, including Vanity Fair and Coast to Coast AM, America’s most listened to late night talk show.
. Watson is also a fill-in host for The Alex Jones Show. Watson has been interviewed by many publications and radio shows, including Vanity Fair and Coast to Coast AM, America’s most listened to late night talk show.Related Article:
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Sarkozy and Merkel: We need a new EU treaty
The coalition government faces the prospect of a referendum on Europe and the outbreak of political warfare between the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats after Nicolas Sarkozy and Angela Merkel demanded a new EU treaty within two years.
Bruno Waterfield
Telegraph
Following a meeting in France, the French President threw his weight behind calls from the GermanChancellor for changes to the Lisbon Treaty in order to prevent future government debt crises threatening the euro zone.
The move is a serious setback for David Cameron because he has opposed any fresh EU institutional changes and recently renewed his "referendum lock" pledge to hold a popular vote on any future treaty that passes new powers to Brussels.
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| Sarkozy and Merkel: REUTERS image |
Telegraph
Following a meeting in France, the French President threw his weight behind calls from the GermanChancellor for changes to the Lisbon Treaty in order to prevent future government debt crises threatening the euro zone.
The move is a serious setback for David Cameron because he has opposed any fresh EU institutional changes and recently renewed his "referendum lock" pledge to hold a popular vote on any future treaty that passes new powers to Brussels.
In a joint statement with Chancellor Merkel, President Sarkozy proposed revisions to the EU treaty in order to bring in tough sanctions against countries that threatened the euro's stability by running high levels of government debt and to set up permanent EU bail-out fund.
"Germany and France together will put forward a revision to the treaties so that political sanctions can be made and for support mechanisms to be made ongoing in order to ensure the financial stability of the euro zone," he said.
Britain has fought hard since March this year to block changes to the Lisbon Treaty by warning Germany and France that it would open the EU as a divisive political issue across Europe and that it could trigger a British referendum, almost certainly leading to a No vote.
The treaty change pact between France and Germany will put the Prime Minister on a collision course with Mr Sarkozy and Mrs Merkel at an EU summit on "economic governance" to be held in Brussels on Oct 28.
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"Germany and France together will put forward a revision to the treaties so that political sanctions can be made and for support mechanisms to be made ongoing in order to ensure the financial stability of the euro zone," he said.
Britain has fought hard since March this year to block changes to the Lisbon Treaty by warning Germany and France that it would open the EU as a divisive political issue across Europe and that it could trigger a British referendum, almost certainly leading to a No vote.
The treaty change pact between France and Germany will put the Prime Minister on a collision course with Mr Sarkozy and Mrs Merkel at an EU summit on "economic governance" to be held in Brussels on Oct 28.
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Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Will Americans Follow French Example Of Mass Civil Unrest?
Or will the sleeping middle classes continue to scratch their butts and watch Dancing with the Stars?
Paul Joseph Watson
Prison Planet
How will Americans react when the government begins to impose the same austerity measures that are causing riots, street battles, fuel blockades and other assorted chaos in France? Will we witness mass civil unrest or will the sleeping middle classes continue to scratch their butts and watch Dancing with the Stars?
Back in June we forecast that the imminent onset of so-called austerity measures, which in reality represent nothing more than an elevated phase of government-run looting of the taxpayer, would herald an “age of rage,” leading to “riots and even revolutions as people react with fury in response to their jobs, savings, basic public services, pensions and welfare money being seized by the financial terrorists who caused the economic collapse in the first place.”
Four months later and citizens of one of the most prosperous countries in the world with the highest standard of living have shut down France after six days of strikes and protestsin response to government plans to raise the retirement age from 60 to 62 and the full state pension age from 65 to 67.
Undoubtedly, there are two different protests occurring in France. The more violent scenes are the work of the rent-a-mob anarchist youths who couldn’t care less about pensions but will waste no opportunity to don black hoods and pointlessly smash up shop windows in demonstrations against “capitalism,” when in reality government seizure of pensions has all the hallmarks of command and control socialism and nothing to do with true free market capitalism.
These youths are more concerned about their welfare checks being cut, but they won’t garner the sympathy of the rest of the French people by taking baseball bats to Starbucks forecourts in mocked up media stunts.
The legitimate protests and the ones thatgenuinely hurt the establishment and put the idiot anarchists to shame are being run by French workers, truck drivers, and union leaders, and enjoy the support of around 70% of the population.
Over a thousand gas stations have now run out of fuel across France, with strategic reserves set to last just a few weeks. Flights and trains have been disrupted, organized slowdowns have snarled highway traffic. The French are showing Americans how it should be done, by uniting peacefully to shut down an entire country. This is genuine people power – the French are sending a message to the establishment that they will no longer play ball until the looting stops.
Read Full Article
RELATED ARTICLE:
US Debt Woes Expose Hidden Austerity and Looting of Public Assets
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Live Superfoods It is time to Wake Up! You too, can join the "Global Political Awakening"!
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| French Protests - REUTERS |
Prison Planet
How will Americans react when the government begins to impose the same austerity measures that are causing riots, street battles, fuel blockades and other assorted chaos in France? Will we witness mass civil unrest or will the sleeping middle classes continue to scratch their butts and watch Dancing with the Stars?
Back in June we forecast that the imminent onset of so-called austerity measures, which in reality represent nothing more than an elevated phase of government-run looting of the taxpayer, would herald an “age of rage,” leading to “riots and even revolutions as people react with fury in response to their jobs, savings, basic public services, pensions and welfare money being seized by the financial terrorists who caused the economic collapse in the first place.”
Four months later and citizens of one of the most prosperous countries in the world with the highest standard of living have shut down France after six days of strikes and protestsin response to government plans to raise the retirement age from 60 to 62 and the full state pension age from 65 to 67.
Undoubtedly, there are two different protests occurring in France. The more violent scenes are the work of the rent-a-mob anarchist youths who couldn’t care less about pensions but will waste no opportunity to don black hoods and pointlessly smash up shop windows in demonstrations against “capitalism,” when in reality government seizure of pensions has all the hallmarks of command and control socialism and nothing to do with true free market capitalism.
These youths are more concerned about their welfare checks being cut, but they won’t garner the sympathy of the rest of the French people by taking baseball bats to Starbucks forecourts in mocked up media stunts.
The legitimate protests and the ones thatgenuinely hurt the establishment and put the idiot anarchists to shame are being run by French workers, truck drivers, and union leaders, and enjoy the support of around 70% of the population.
Over a thousand gas stations have now run out of fuel across France, with strategic reserves set to last just a few weeks. Flights and trains have been disrupted, organized slowdowns have snarled highway traffic. The French are showing Americans how it should be done, by uniting peacefully to shut down an entire country. This is genuine people power – the French are sending a message to the establishment that they will no longer play ball until the looting stops.
Read Full Article
RELATED ARTICLE:
US Debt Woes Expose Hidden Austerity and Looting of Public Assets
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Friday, October 15, 2010
Fuel pipeline to Paris cut as protests escalate
 |
| Photo: EPA |
*Supply cut at fuel pipeline to Paris
*Truckers union calls drivers to join protests
*Police arrest dozens in student protests
PARIS, Oct 15 (Reuters) - French refinery workers cut off a fuel pipeline to Paris on Friday as protesters piled on pressure to derail President Nicolas Sarkozy's unpopular pension reform.
Police broke up blockades at fuel depots in southern France but protesters blocked a terminal at Paris's Orly airport and truckers were set to join the fray as momentum built for a day of street rallies on Saturday.
A nationwide strike is planned on Tuesday, a day before the Senate is due to vote on a bill to make people work longer for their pensions.
The protests have become the biggest challenge facing the centre-right president, who is struggling with rock-bottom popularity ratings as he tries to appease financial markets by stemming a ballooning pension shortfall.
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Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Sarkozy stands firm as French pension protests escalate
 |
| Reuters |
The Independent
President Nicolas Sarkozy could face the greatest challenge of his presidency in the next few days as a month-old protest against pension reform swells towards outright confrontation.
More than 3 million demonstrators – one in 20 of all French people – marched yesterday against the President's plans to raise the standard retirement age from 60 to 62. Tens of thousands of students joined the marches for the first time, threatening to radicalise the protests and broaden them into a rebellion against a deeply unpopular presidency.
Militant union branches in the railway and oil-refining industries were pushing last night for a showdown with Mr Sarkozy, who has made reform of the loss-making state pension system the make-or-break issue of his final 20 months in office.
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Banksters Coming For Your Retirement Next
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