France prides itself on being the Pays du Droit de l'Homme, the country where human rights were born. This year, human rights have been knocked for six and new 'liberticide' laws are being introduced to cow the population.
Just three weeks ago, a small group of 'watchers' (veilleurs) were carrying out their usual peaceful protest against against gay marriage, rent-a-womb, etc., and were making their way to the Champs Elysée. Suddenly a group of CRS spotted the leader of the movement and rushed at him brandishing Tasers. He was doing nothing wrong, but he took fright and ran into a pizza restaurant. The CRS barged in and arrested him and took him down to the station where he refused to give his DNA, not having done anything wrong, and gave his mother's maiden name for his own. BAD Nicholas.
For these two 'crimes' which had nothing to do with the original arrest, he was put on a rapid path before a judge who condemned him to 4 months in prison, 2 of them firm. That evening he slept in the top security shit hole of a prison the French reserve for violent bandits, and a lefty 'comedian' tweeted that hoped he would change his ideological tune once he'd experienced the 'joys' of the shower the next day (we all know what he meant). Thus Nicholas became France's first political prisoner since... I don't know when... the beginning of the Vth Republic?
Meanwhile, on the day PSG won the French footie title, hoards of banlieue hooligans, 'les chances pour la France' poured into the centre of Paris and ripped apart the Trocadero, held up a tourist bus, opened the luggage compartment and thieved all they could get their hands on. The CRS just stood by and looked on at the damage being inflicted on private and council property, not wanting to 'stir up trouble' and cause a riot. Those who happened to be intercepted later were merely rapped on the knuckles and told be good in future. Not one prison sentence was issued.
Meanwhile, an RER train was held up at Grigny, Robin Hood style, by more 'chances pour la France' and its passengers robbed of everything they had of value, not to be given to the poor of course. When the perpetrators were caught thanks to security videos they were... rapped on the knuckles and told not to do it again. Not a single prison sentence was to be had.
Recently a social worker working for the Paris Mairie was sacked because he criticised the Qur'an during a private conversation about Islam with a colleague. The colleague then, unbeknownst to him, went and complained to her hierarchy which, after a few weeks of persecution, sacked the man, the reason given in writing being that he had criticised the Qur'an. There is no crime of blasphemy in France, or there wasn't... Not only was he sacked but he's been blacklisted so he can no longer work in the public sector. For a social worker, this is extremely serious.
And lastly I come to the story of Clément Méric, an 'Antifa' (extreme left-wing antifascist) who, on June 6 was killed during a punch-up with an extreme right-wing group. This is the story as related to us in the press: a kind, gentle, thoughtful, brilliant student at Sciences Po; an idealist who believed in the socialist dream, he was brutally murdered in a premeditated lynching by an evil, violent fascist wearing a knuckle duster who beat him to death during a fight.
The press cried foul and demanded the immediate
There was even a minute's silence in the Assemblé (Parliament) and a march was held last Sunday in memory of poor Clément.
Then three weeks after the event, after the hand-wringing, naval-gazing, solemn words and attempts to outlaw the right-wing groups, we get the truth. Actually we already knew the truth because there had been independent witnesses to the event such as the security guard of the shop where the two groups had initially met, but no one in the media or the Gov was taking much notice of him. The Procureur was though, and had already decided that Clément was not murdered, but the victim of an accident, to the disgust and disbelief of the msm and all followers of the extreme left.
The truth was further elucidated via a video taken by a security camera belonging to the RATP (trains). It shows Estaban Morillo, the extreme right-winger, being attacked and defending himself against two antifas. Then Clément Méric can be seen behind him aiming a punch at his head. Estaban turns in self-defence and lands a punch on his face. Clément, who was not that strong having had Leukaemia, collapses and never gets up. Not exactly a premeditated murder.
Furthermore, Clément's group had been stalking Estaban and his girlfriend on the internet and it's possible that they recognised him and went for the punch-up. The fascist group had tried to avoid a conflict according to the security guard but the antifas were determined to 'get them' and lay in wait at the metro station.
What is disgusting about this whole affair is that the police had the video right from the start and could have stopped the press/Gov manipulation of public opinion, but 'didn't want to stir up more trouble'. Of course not... The Gov knew very well what had happened thanks to the video, but used the incident to demonise the extreme right and call for it to be banned.
What I want to know is, now that the truth is out, will extreme left-wing groups be banned too? After all, during their Antifa demonstration last Sunday in memory of Clément, they also took out their 'grief' by smashing shop windows, looting goods and destroying council property. They are as undesirable as any fascist group despite their feelings of moral superiority and 'Good' ideological convictions.
Has the actual truth been mentioned much in the msm to set the story straight? Guess...
Sorry. Can't tell you WTF is going on in France... Shocking.
ReplyDeleteI live here and I have no idea! Seems the government is determined to set sections of the population against the others causing havoc.
Delete*APPLAUSE* 200% behind you, Sarah. When Méric died, my first reaction was to wonder why an extreme left-wing militant would be any more pleasant that his extreme right wing equivalent. Then I heard that the altercation occured at a sale of militant garb - interestingly enough, the wear the same uniform. Then the radio informed us that Clément had gone clothes shopping toting anti-fascist signs. To the onlooker, this could be seen as looking for trouble - I don't scream my political opinions at people when I'm looking for shoes in Gemo. My conclusion is that extreme political views are bad for you.
ReplyDeleteWe're being governed by a buch of idealistic, nihilistic Care Bears who let dangerous crims out of prison, resulting in a 47 year-old father being killed by a Gofast driven by an excon that slammed up the rear of his car at 240 km/h on the A9 recently. Look on the bright side: soon they'll give foreigners the right to vote, and we can vote them back out.
Taubira and the Syndicat des Magistrats (don't get me started on them... Mur des Cons...) believe that racailles chances pour la France are society's 'victims' and their place is not in prison but protected by bisous. The result is that they think, correctly, that they can act with impunity. I'm shocked at the rise of violence and insecurity that is being reported.
DeleteI'd love to vote them out, but how many are like us and not dependent on them staying in power to keep our privileges?
Do you know La Connectrice's blog? You might like to take a look.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad we left when we did....French friends tend to start their e mails or Skype calls with
You'll never believe this but....
And they are far from being right wing Cathos...very far.
No, I don't know it, but I'll look it up. You don't even need to be a right wing Catho to be horrified by what's happening. Anyone with a sense of right and wrong plus common sense is aghast. We're wondering how we can leave, not easy with kids, and the problem is where to go!
Delete"Could someone tell me what the fuck is going on in France; why it seems to be heading towards at best a banana republic and at worst a totalitarian state?"
ReplyDeleteWish I'd written those words. Brilliant blogpost this, and you are obviously more than well aware of what's going on here in France right now.
A pleasure to read from start to finish..
Why, thank you very much. I often feel that too much keeping up is actually bad for moral as reading about the violence and injustice just enrages me. Dilemme...
DeleteAlmost every night after watching the news, my French husband turns to me and says, "I hate France." It's very sad.
ReplyDeleteIt is, and you only see a tiny part of what's going on on the television news - the bits they can't exactly keep from you, but they manipulate the story to what they have decided viewers should hear.
DeleteDo you remember those foam bricks you could buy in the UK? Used for throwing at the television when enraged. Wish I had one now as the occasion arises so often... although of course it would be unwise with delicate modern teles...
We have lived in Africa and in the UK and things to our mind are even worse there! Nowhere is perfect. Keep well Diane
ReplyDeleteYou expect Africa to be bad though. France didn't used to be like this, but over the last year it's taken a nose-dive with regard to insecurity, abuses of justice, and the creeping Islamisation of the country.
DeleteI simply don't recognise my home country. I think that French leaders have completely lost the plot. I am really glad to have left, I am not sure that I could come back and live there now. Sad but true!
ReplyDeleteI think our leaders do actually have a plot, but it's not one that any right-minded French person wants. I predict that in the municipal elections next year, the PS will get a hammering, probably in favour of the FN, and the PS will have asked for it.
DeleteI am not voting to the French local elections any more, and I really wouldn't know what to do. Even when I read French newspapers, I am appalled by the narrow-mindedness and patronising tone. Not to mention the lack of in-depth analysis.
DeleteVery interesting Sarah but if you transposed this story to the UK, nothing in it would surprise me, sadly.
ReplyDeleteI don't think the UK police is being remarked on internationally for its brutality against peaceful protesters yet though, or for having a political prisoner... unlike France.
Deletehttp://www.ndf.fr/article-2/01-07-2013/les-repressions-politiques-en-france-vues-de-letranger?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ndf-fr+%28Nouvelles+de+France%29
"Suddenly a group of CRS spotted the leader of the movement and rushed at him brandishing Tasers. He was doing nothing wrong, but he took fright and ran into a pizza restaurant. The CRS barged in and arrested him and took him down to the station where he refused to give his DNA, not having done anything wrong, and gave his mother's maiden name for his own." oh my gosh! If i had watched that in a satirical play I would have thought it too far fetched, pizza restaurant and mother's maiden name and all...THis is really the start of an outrage. Aren't the French powers that be at least a little tired from the summer sun over there?
ReplyDeleteI don't think they've had much sun in Paris as yet, it's been a terrible year weather-wise. So they don't even have that excuse!
DeleteIt sounds crazy, doesn't it, but truth is often more bizarre than fiction, and life in France is becoming increasingly surreal. :(
Creeping Islamization! First time I've heard that one. But I'm not on the scene. Crowded, fractious people whose every activity is politicized is certainly a recipe for social disaster.
ReplyDeleteYou have to read the French independent news sources to know what's going on in France. The msm has an agenda.
DeleteBeats the hell out of me. I too always thought of the French Republic as being very liberal and understanding of other's feelings. Guess I'm wrong.
ReplyDeleteThose days are gone. :(
Delete