As I write this on the eve of the 38th consecutive week of Yellow Vests protests in France (#Act38), the climate is drastically changing in France (both in terms of heatwaves & social-economically).
https://www.france24.com/en/2019073...-police-killing-steve-canico-edouard-phillipe
Of the more explosive recent headlines that swept France, was the discovery of Steve Canico’s body, after he went missing since Fête de la Musique on June 21st. Law enforcement were blamed after they tear-gassed a peaceful gathering of people grooving by the Loire river. At the time of incident happening, crowds panicked, incl. Steve, 24yrs-old, who fell into the river, not knowing how to swim, and subsequently drowned.
The tragedy sparked outrage beyond just the Gilets Jaunes movement, after all this wasn’t your now-regular weekly protest, and slogans like “Où est Steve?” (Where is Steve?) were seen in marches and in front of public institutions to demand explanations.
Since his body had been found last week, it’s become a State affair, and none of the people in charge are willing to take any responsibility, incl. the official inquiry done by the Police (as if they would willingly incriminate themselves).
Candles are lit across France in the streets in his memory.
Steve has, unintentionally, become the symbol of a martyr against the brutal police regime in France. Of course, he’s hardly alone at this point.
I don’t have the numbers under my nose, but the number of people injured, or even mutilated (many blinded for life, being hit in the face by rubber bullets), arrested, detained, and even the death toll at 2 with Steve, only keep increasing as time goes.
Need I remind that these
cyanide-poison tear-gases were explicitly banned in wartime use after World War One under the Geneva War Conventions, but not against firing their own people during protests. Even the best screenwriter couldn’t make this up.
The tragedy is also the catalyst for new wave of consciousness. The silence and absence of any remorse by the Gov is becoming so blatant (and brazen) that it’s harder to be on the fence.
https://twitter.com/lemediatv/status/1156487387695976449?s=21
More and more independent media are coming out and asking the hard questions: Has France become a Police State? My answer to that is
duh, but for many this is still a mirage, something impossible to believe in.
The irony, when only 70+ yrs ago, the Vichy regime willingly collaborated with the 3rd Reich to dispose of Jews/Gypsies/other minorities.
In French only, but English subs maybe?
This journalist analyzes how gov departments created for dealing with terrorism are now tasked with charging those protesters. Essentially, as we already know, those false flags served only to advance this threat as an excuse to roll-out a police state which is now unleashed.
LeMedia has done great work on this, as did QG (an independent media by Aude Lancelin, whose crowdfunding campaign just finished) interviewing key figures, including people like Alexandre Langlois, a former police officer, who has been ex-communicated and now harassed after questioning the suicide rates amongst colleagues, the rampant cases of abuses and nepotism within the academy.
My apologies for this lengthy post about French news. But I feel that Macron is being used to test how far they can trample on democratic values before it’s too much, for the rest to follow (or fail).
Personally, I’m an optimist and think the short-term negatives only pushes people to the edge until harmony will eventually come on our side back full-speed.
Have a good weekend and rest of the season everyone. Stay Safe.
