Vive La France; French President Emmanuel Macron Considers State of Emergency After France Experiences Worst Civil Unrest Since 1968, has the road to civil war in Europe taken a significant step forward, the people of Europe are sick of their political leaders, if there is a general election, what could populist right-wing leader of the National Rally Marine Le Pen achieve at the ballot box?

Dear All

While we sit twiddling our thumbs waiting for the Brexit vote in the House of Commons, I thought I would cast an eye over to the happenings in France. Quite a few years ago, I said that Europe was heading towards a possible ‘civil war’. I said that the migrant problem would rebound on the political elite and that slowly and steadily the trust between politicians and the people would break. The political elite of Europe have betrayed their people in favour of the EU, crime escalated, violence has escalated and all that was needed was a ‘trigger’.

We aren’t at the shooting stage just yet, but we are beginning to enter the violence and rioting on the streets.

French President Emmanuel Macron is considering imposing a state of emergency after France experiences worst civil unrest since 1968. Here is a blast from the past to get you started.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_1968_events_in_France

Of course, rioting in France does flare up from time to time, but generally it is localised over an incident. We are much more aware of seeing French protests such as farmers complaining about CAP, the Common Agricultural Policy.

Back in 2015, I was blogging on how the military would be needed on the streets of Europe.

http://glasgowunihumanrights.blogspot.com/2015/08/the-calais-migrant-crisis-has-gotten.html

The protests by the ‘yellow jackets/ vests’ far from dying down have spread across Europe, in France, there have been have been violent protests in Paris which saw the Arc de Triomphe vandalised and hundreds of arrests. The protestors are many and the issues they are unhappy about are also many, these protests have many heads, it isn’t a single issue.

French President Emmanuel Macron has been polling badly, the public have lost confidence in him as their leader, He has been repeatedly over time been met with jeers and calls for his resignation. From the attack in Nice to present day where he toured the damage along the Champs-Élysée after his return from G20 in Buenos Aires, he doesn’t inspire.

It must have been uncomfortable for Macron to read graffiti that read “Macron resign” and “Yellow Vests will triumph” after the capital experienced its third straight weekend of civil unrest. People are sick of how they are treated and used as cash cows to be milked; this was the spark that set the ball rolling in France.

Government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux has now confirmed a state of emergency was on the table, saying: 

“It is out of the question that each weekend becomes a meeting or ritual for violence.”

What is laughable is that the French Government are saying that the president was ready for dialogue with the Yellow Vest protesters, which is meaningless, as he will not back down from his green agenda.

He said:

“We won’t change course. It’s the right direction. We are certain of that.”

What is there to talk about?

The person must to benefit from the civil unrest is the populist right-wing leader of the National Rally Marine Le Pen. It is also said that these protests might garner support for far-leftist Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the leader of the Unsubmissive France party. These two people have called for Parliament to be dissolved and fresh elections to be held, plunging France into turmoil. In previous elections, Marine Le Pen didn’t get enough support to bridge the gap. This gap is narrowing, people see a need for political change, change that only can happen via the ballot box for what is needed to restore Europe.

The alternative is the bullet and the bomb, civil war which isn’t desirable, is a general election on the cards, well, Macron has public support hovering at around 25 per cent. This is enough to predict he isn’t going anywhere near a ballot box. If you consider he has done only one and a half years into his five-year mandate, he will want to ride out the storm. This assumes that he keeps the considerable support in the French legislative assembly. Leadership is a lonely place when those around you fail to offer continued support, especially if their necks are on the line.

According to interior ministry figures, 3,000 people took part in the rioting in Paris, police made 412 arrests and used over 10,000 tear gas canisters and stun grenades in an attempt to defuse protesters. 133 people were injured, including 23 police officers. Aside from the damage inflicted on the Arc, rioters also attacked the neighbourhood’s luxury homes, high-end boutiques, and set cars on fire. Officials estimated that 75,000 people took part in action across the country, one driver died on Sunday in Arles, in the south of France at a roadblock. If you ever watched the movie Ronin starring Robert De Nero, you will recognise Arles, it is a historical town with plenty of history.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arles

In panic, Macron has labelled all protesters as violent however, French politicians and the government have recently been keen to draw a distinction between Yellow Jacket protesters and extremists on the left and right who have infiltrated the protests. The ‘yellow vests’ have a high amount of support from the French public. French protests always get used as a vehicle by the extremists on the left and right, this is nothing new. They want protests to be violent as it suits their agenda to bring down the government; the problem is Macron and his group.

One thing the Yellow Jackets said which rings true is that French President Emmanuel Macron is a “president of the rich” and does not care about the concerns of everyday citizens. Macron is a clone of what has been described as Europe’s childless leaders.

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/10306/childless-europe

They don’t care about the future because they have no family which will be a part of it.

Finally, if you think back to 1968, the occupations, riots, and strikes were so severe French Politicians feared civil war and revolution. The violence maybe the worst in 50 years but it also could escalate further. Is the tax hikes the last straw for the French public, how far will Macron go before he breaks society in France? Will the military soon be walking the streets of France? How will the French public react to that, there are lots of questions which spring from what is happening in France but answers seem to be few and far between in how solve the problems under Macron.

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University