If you have been keeping up with global news lately I’m sure you’ve heard of the protests that have been going on in Paris. We have been keenly aware of them as they have taken place outside of our house and around the corner from our place. The sound of the Euro two-toned siren has been no stranger to my ears…day and night…all day long.
Here’s the summary of the story…The government passed a law two weeks ago that made it possible for employers to fire people under the age of 26 with no reason and without a lot of red tape. The law was intended to make it more likely for employers to hire students and young people by making it easier to get rid of bad workers. As it was before…it was a long drawn-out process to get rid of employees regardless of their performance at work. Good for lazy people, bad for managers. Regardless of how the law was intended, the youth of the nation were less than pleased. This resulted in a flurry of protests. In France it is legal to hold organized protests. The police assist with traffic control and make sure things are well managed. The youth started protesting all around the city with no organization. The climax came when a group of youth broke into La Sorbonne, the most prestigious university in France and held a three day sit-in, destroying collections of old books and vandalizing the building. The police raided the building with tear gas and ended up making many arrests. This created a tension that has been in the air for the past week. Manifesting itself in more and more protests. Day after day, and hour after hour, there are groups of people carrying signs through the streets and yelling in loud speakers. The police have shown a strong presence in high student population areas. Hundreds of police have been out in full riot gear most everyday. It’s so abnormal for me to see this…Usually this site would make me uneasy, but it’s getting to be normal.
Despite the way it looks, it doesn’t feel dangerous and we are safe. People don’t want to hurt anybody as this isn’t a violent society, so we’re not afraid. We didn’t even know about the situation at La Sorbonne until it was over. I think we mostly feel sad for people who turn to anger to try to be heard. We hope that the young of France will be heard and that they will learn at a young age that opinion must be carried responsibly if it is to be heard.
Jen took some great pictures from our apartment window yesterday of the largest of the protests we’ve seen. I’ve put up some pictures of some of the damage and the marches. Ahh…the two toned siren just went by again at 12:25am…pray that this stops soon…the sirens and the unrest!
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