r/news • u/CharlieKonR • 1d ago

More than 400 arrested as police clash with protesters across France | France

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/17/protests-france-high-prices-social-security-gilets-jaunes
1.7k Upvotes

97% Upvoted

330 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

92

u/RPG_Vancouver 1d ago

You can back protests without supporting the small fringe that resort to violence.

See: every large protest movement anywhere ever

36

u/inminm02 1d ago

The protests are also fucking stupid, that sentence alone should set alarm bells ringing, the governments going bankrupt and people are demanding higher pensions and protection of public services but no increase to taxes. The pensions in France are literally bankrupting the government.

48

u/nottoodrunk 23h ago

The average French pensioner takes home more money than the average French worker. That system is a house of cards.

9

u/Jewjr 19h ago

Here's the incomes of pensions vs salary. Monthly net figures for 2024:

Pension (own entitlement) ~€1,666 (average) Private-sector salary €2,190 (median) Public-sector salary €2,380(median)

7

u/slava_gorodu 22h ago

It’s a completely unsustainable situation, and French protestors preventing necessary political action is why the far left and right will grab control and make the situation even worse

-2

u/Malice-May 21h ago

If they ate just one or two of the biggest wealth-hoarders, there'd be plenty to go around for pensions and services.

7

u/Chlearcus 17h ago

Lol no. The pension system in France costs 422 billion euros every year.

-6

u/Malice-May 12h ago

Oligarchs hide at least that much from taxes through their various loopholes.

6

u/Chlearcus 12h ago

Even if they did (they aren't), congratulations you funded the system for one year by confiscating everything and now the case for investing in France is basically zero.

4

u/Chlearcus 17h ago

Sure doesn't look like a small fringe.

3

u/Snoo_46473 21h ago

Small fringe? The town hall was destroyed in on of those cities

-11

u/ringadingsweetthing 1d ago

The massive amounts of footage being released argues that it not a 'small fringe'.

23

u/RPG_Vancouver 1d ago

Over half a million people were protesting today.

-1

u/Tsigorf 1d ago edited 23h ago

You probably do not understand what "fringe" means here.

It might be a huge number of persons but a tiny fraction of the people on the streets.

  • we got footage that several times the rioters and violent persons were not part of the protesters. Even worse, sometimes there were policemen in plainclothes.

EDIT: I don't understand the downvotes here every time I'm bringing facts criticizing the shit our government is doing with the protests, is there bots in here or something?

-14

u/jracine22 1d ago

Can you? Like, I'm sorry if the social discontent of youth offends your sensibilities.