May Day is traditionally marked by union rallies in many European countries and the global economic downturn is expected to bring record crowds this year. Several countries, including Germany, are facing their worst recession since the Second World War.
Unions in France are joining forces for the first time since the Liberation. Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to turn out to join almost 300 marches around France in the third major demonstration this year against President Nicolas Sarkozys handling of the economic crisis.
Some politicians have warned of a threat of “revolution”, following radical action such as “bossnapping” factory executives and an ongoing strike that has crippled dozens of French universities.
More about the new trend, “bossnapping,” here.
hey, with everybody either off protesting or on strike, who’s going to pay for their welfare state?
I do not see any coal burning – this could be the problem.
Sounds like someone dumped Acid into the water supply.
brendal, vinyl, it’s the new coal. It also doesn’t take a blow torch to light.
Are these Christians rioting and kidnapping? Or are these liberals? Well, it is May Day….
Doesn’t something strange happens every time you go to Europe?
#6, what they are is people with no respect for property. Somebody should go ransack their homes and see how long that attitude lasts.
#8 When people’s pensions and 401k’s are being raided for the benefit of a few, who is it exactly that has no respect for property?
Happens in Germany, every Autumn. Go, get a mohawk, have a tattoo, join in, get arrested. All part of the fun!
AH smelly-looking commies. I’m booking my ticket now!
# 10 Li said, “#8 When people’s pensions and 401k’s are being raided for the benefit of a few, who is it exactly that has no respect for property?”
So, by your logic, if my wallet is stolen I should go out and loot, pillage & burn my neighborhood. Got it.
No, but if your wallet were stolen by those in power, with the full weight of the constabulary behind it, would you simply bend over and ask for more?
I have a sense you would.
#14 So, burning their neighborhood is constructive?
#15 Much better to do As Americans and take it like a man and stay at home, where you can carp on incessantly about it on a blog.
#16:
Yeah, because all this rioting and sticking it to the man has done wonders for personal freedom in Europe.
#14:
“but if your wallet were stolen by those in power”
…then I’ll go smash the windows of shop owners who didn’t steal my wallet.
brilliant.
May Day celebrants are typically people who don’t think ANYTHING should be sold for money. They’re indiscriminate fools.
#17 What the hell is the ‘personal freedom’ you American belt on about? You have no freedom. Your owned and manipulated by the corporations. You mistakenly think that owning a gun gives your freedom from the ‘man’, when is more likely to keep you living in fear and get you shot. You’re as much sheep as the Europeans, cept they get better healthcare and have a generally better opinion of their fellow human beings.
In the panoply of threats allied against us from within and without… the acting out of the powerless and desperate hardly rates.
I suppose I should get worked up that they are forgetting their manners, but I find it more useful and authentic, then say, furiously blogging about it.
The only thing missing from the picture is “Stop Global Warming” banners.
#19:
“What the hell is the ‘personal freedom’ you American belt on about?”
Not having a million cameras pointed at us. Not having biometric data cached for years. Not acknowledging royalty. The freedom to criticize Islam. The right to own a gun (still.) The right to be rich without being taxed to death. Class mobility. Brown people unflinchingly calling themselves ‘Americans.’ (for example, are brown people in France truly considered ‘Frenchmen’?)
“You’re as much sheep as the Europeans”
I agree we’re giving up liberties, but there’s still a strong ‘get the hell off my lawn’ attitude and mistrust of government that most Europeans just don’t have.
“Your owned and manipulated by the corporations.”
I can’t prove a negative, so I can’t answer to this. You’re kind of correct, but Europeans are just as guilty, and this is more out of ignorance than it is from people knowing what’s going on and allowing it. Not saying that’s any better.
Idiots?
If you act bad enough somebody will take care of you?
Seems to work in a lot of places until things get bad enough it’s easier to just shoot you.
These people are frustrated. They recognize they are underachievers and feel constantly humiliated in comparison to people who have achieved something. Every now and then, they raise some hell thinking that will come across as dignity.
Also, the noise leaves a lot of people slightly stunned and less prone to think clearly. They don’t want anyone to think clearly. Clear thinking makes it clear that they are poor, sorry underachievers.