French Politics

Like that helps in the USA, given how public defenders work? At least in France everyone was equally screwed once the cops got you.

So it looks like the rail workers and public sector are having a massive strike today, with rail workers planning to strike off and on across April. Ugh, that's going to cause utter havoc. Apparently, polls have a small majority supporting the strikers, but a (slightly larger) majority supports the reforms. I hope these strikes don't have the government back down...

I'm not competent when it comes to the retirement stuff, but I wouldn't mind the government backing down on privatising everything that isn't deficitary...

I'm really torn on that one... On the one hand, I have trouble finding any sympathy for those transportation strikes that keep targeting people who can't do anything about the situation. On the other, railworkers strikes being among the most disruptive that can be, if the government manages to pass this law, then the door is open for destroying any remaining so-called privileges in any other work branch with little fear of protest.

edited 23rd Mar '18 3:17:11 AM by C105

Not so sure about that, because targeting the general population like this is a great way to loose any sympathy for your cause. Especially when it goes on for too long.

They could target merchant and high-speed trains and fail to enforce seat class segregation, for example. They could stop checking tickets altogether.

This came up in a conversation between friends, one argued that due to weird reasons, it's actually illegal for (at least some of) them to run the trains for free. Unfortunately I don't remember the details.

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prise_d%27otages_de_TrA8bes

A terrorist began by stopping a car on a road, injuring the driver, and killing the passenger.

Then he went to a police station to shoot on peacekeepers who were coming back to their barracks after a jogging session in the neighborhood, severely injuring one of them.

Then he drove to a Super U, what you may call some kind of a local "Kwik-E-Mart", where he shot dead two persons right as he entered and then took the rest of the people trapped there as hostages for several hours until a lieutenant colonel took down the suspect himself.

This lieutenant colonel is now heavily injured.

Already people are claiming it's a False Flag Operation and some shady agents of the leading right wing manipulated/paid/armed him to go and remind everyone of how bad Muslims are and how much people need Security and Surveillance, for the sake of related businesses to thrive.

I can't do this anymore. I am completely alienated from most of the world, especially from my birth country. I feel like one of the last characters in Rhinoceros.

edited 23rd Mar '18 5:48:11 PM by TheHandle

Have heart, the nature of the internet means that toxic stupidity like that is magnified. There are still sane and decent people in the world

No but these are real life friends and relatives. They're my social support network. They're people I have to deal with.

I think you need a new social support structure mate.

I've been trying to build one for years. The childhood friends I have learned to do without, though I now have a total of one friend that I can trust like I trusted them. My family has proven more difficult to replace, as I'm sure you'll understand.

The officer has sadly died of his wounds.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-43525267

I hope that his family gets good insurance and honor for this man's sacrifice.

Re: interrogation, I think that in most jurisdictions, the right to remain silent isn't generally as strong as it is in the US and UK. In Canada, for example, the very polite men in red jackets can continue to interrogate you without a lawyer even if you've invoked the right to remain silent.

That said, in France, conversely, a confession isn't seen as hard evidence like it is in the US and UK.

An ex-candidate from "La France Insoumise" who actually rejoiced on Twitter and Facebook for the death of the gendarme who gave his live during the terrorist attack is now under arrest for "apology of terrorist acts".

Note that he was immediately excluded from his party following this.

A far left party has an odious bastard in its ranks? What are the odds?! <rolls eyes>

There's odious bastards everywhere.

Got an article in English. He praised the death partially because the area the victim is from voted heavily for Macron and co, and this means one less voter for them. What a piece of shit.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-43534445

That's comically evil and stupid.

Certainly true.

Wow that's awful.

And petty.

In my opinion Arnaud Beltrame knowingly offered himself to the terrorist because he guessed the dickhead would gladly trade a common hostage for a cop, that are highly "prized" in their wicked minds as hunting trophies, because some details suggested to him he could get a window to physically disarm him with his bare fists.

He was fulfilling two goals at the same time : save an innocent civilian + neutralise the terrorist .

It unfortunately failed and he lost his life in it but boy... A real hero, in my humble opinion.

Edit : The Chief-Prosecutor of Paris, who is in charge of managing the investigations in this case, has just said in a press conference that Arnaud Beltrame has been first injured by bullets in his legs and arms but he died on Saturday early morning because of the injuries sustained when the dickhead stabbed him in the neck with a long-blade knife.

edited 26th Mar '18 10:38:51 AM by Nuup-Kangerlua

How does the current wave of terror attacks compare to those of the 70s and 80s of far-left motives with Soviet backing (l’Internationale terroriste was it called)?

It seems to this layman that the earlier ones were actually more of a threat to France and other concerned democracies while the collective fear was lower nonetheless.

edited 26th Mar '18 2:26:27 PM by AlityrosThePhilosopher