Wednesday, March 8: French Protests (Again)
Their love of croissants is rivaled by their love of organized strikes
The cheese and bread connoisseurs are back on strike!
This week, millions of French protesters brought the nation to a standstill once again. The protests continue to revolve around rejecting the government’s proposed pension reform bill, which includes raising the legal retirement age from 62 to 64 years old. Imagine for a moment, being a 60 year old French person, working hard at the local patisserie for decades just to find out in the eleventh hour that you’ll actually need to keep working a few more years to earn the sweet release of retirement. Every conceivable labor sector turned out in force yesterday to show their disapproval in nationwide demonstrations, including rail workers, energy workers, teachers, pharmacists, and more. The protests disrupted train services, shut down schools and halted fuel deliveries, and will continue through the week as labor unions seek to force the government’s retreat on the deeply unpopular policy.
This is what mass protest can look like. A common legislative enemy was identified, and working class people from all kinds of backgrounds came together to make their disapproval known. This is a critical time for both unions and the government as French president Emmanuel Macron was hoping parliament would adopt his plan before April. If the strikes and protests continue, I have a hard time believing he’ll be successful.
"The real fight starts now. We haven't been heard or listened to. We are using the only means we have left: It's the hard strike ...we are not going to give up."
-Marin Guillotin, union representative at the Donges refinery with a killer last name
Another round of protests is planned for Saturday according to France's union leaders as they again urged Macron to drop the reform, saying his rigid stance could lead to an "explosive" situation. I’ll be tuned in anytime a western colonizing power puts itself in this kind of uncomfortable position. Here’s hoping for another French revolution.
Side Items
Vulnerable Utility Operations: A 36-year-old Bay Area man has been charged with blowing up two Pacific Gas & Electric transformers, causing damage that knocked out power to thousands of utility customers in the area. Last week, authorities searched Peter Karasev’s home and turned up explosive materials along with an “inactive” meth lab (whatever that means). It’s not the first time our vulnerable public utility infrastructure has come under fire, and it likely won’t be the last
Elon Earns A Lawsuit: When you’re one of the richest men on the planet, you’re pretty much allowed to pick fights with whoever you want. That being said, of all the people to try to publicly humiliate and fire, I would probably avoid picking a fight with the disabled Icelandic national hero who was literally on a corporate DO NOT FIRE list because of the costs involved in terminating him, but that’s me. I’m a broke boy, what do I know
Boy Meets Congress: Actor Ben Savage, who you may remember from his starring role as the Boy who met the World in the sitcom “Boy Meets World,” is running for a US house seat in California, marking the latest attempt to make the jump from Hollywood to politics. Savage will compete for the seat currently held by Adam Schiff, who has decided to join the race to replace the forgetful artifact that claims to be Dianne Feinstein