French politicians fear youth violence along Greek pattern

[Robbien]

Source: International Herald Tribune

Firebombs and breaking glass, tear gas and burning cars. The images from Greece this month were enough to put the fear of youth into the hearts of European leaders.

That dread was palpable in France when President Nicolas Sarkozy abruptly delayed for one year a plan to overhaul France's high schools, after students from Bordeaux to Brittany took to the streets in protest.

Those demonstrations haven't turned violent yet. But French history, and the example of Greece, suggests they might. At least that is what people like Laurent Fabius, a Socialist Party leader, are saying on French radio.

"What we see in Greece is not out of the realm of possibility in France," Fabius said on Europe 1. "When you have such an economic depression, such social despair, all it takes is a match."

An editorial in the daily newspaper Libération said the decision to delay the education law - which would change schedules and academic requirements for the last three years of lycée, or high school - was purely defensive. "One senses among the team in power a hesitation, a dread of riots, a fear of explosion," wrote Didier Pourquery.

Read more: http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/12/19/europe/letter.php

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These neo-conservative "reforms" have caused: rapid rise in unemployment among people under age 25, particularly in southern Europe. In Spain youth unemployment shot up from 18.4 percent in August 2007 to 28.1 percent in October 2008. The average jobless rate for young people in Italy, Greece and France is well above the average for the EU. All these events have at their core a sense among youth that their lives are not going anywhere, and they have nothing to lose.

Another article today:
Swedish city hit by youth riots
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7791553.stm

Dozens of youths have rioted in the southern Swedish city of Malmo for a second consecutive night, setting cars on fire and clashing with police.

"We've had a very difficult evening," a police spokeswoman told the AFP news agency late on Thursday.

"There have been fires burning since this afternoon... extensive damage to public property, and... stone-throwing and bomb threats against police."



Meanwhile in Greece the youth movement heads into its third week without abating. From another article: "I don't agree with the riots, but when students called for us to hit the streets I came. I understand their problems and their demands," said Eleni Spetseri, 60, a lawyer.

[WriteDown]

1. Nothing to do with reforms...

this has everything to do with globalization. Their economies can't compete with China, Vietnam, Thailand, etc.

[Robbien]

2. No lie

But the Chamber of Commerce types and the MSM don't believe we can see beyond their code words and the politicos keep pushing the memes.

[acmavm]

4. The Chamber of Commerce is nothing more than a cabal of business

owners who get together and figure out ways to screw everybody else. The Chamber of Commerce is NOT OUR FRIEND.

[Selatius]

3. Two of those countries you just mentioned are dictatorships, where labor rights are non-existent.

Of course, no democratic society could ever compete with totalitarian regimes without losing the race to the bottom.

[harmonicon]

6. it's not even as complex as globalization

The answer to why this is happening is simple: capitalism. It wasn't globalization, but capitalism, that caused the events of May '68 in France. It can again.... globalization is just one element of capitalist dehumanization of the populace.

[antimatter98]

5. If this happens in U.S., we will see military shoot Americans..

just as we saw in the 70's.

I believe we will see people in the streets in coming months.

The Congress is working with business and banks to loot the country
of its wealth and to put working Americans into poverty.

Sooner or later, Americans will rebel against this, and not by
blogging or sending polite emails to Congress.