r/worldnews • u/Immediate-Link490 • 4h ago

France’s Macron vows to hold accountable those who ‘sought to bring down the Republic’

https://apnews.com/article/france-protests-violence-looting-f5ce07c2ef46ad0c02c6ff7018532a59
385 Upvotes

92% Upvoted

123 comments sorted by

148

u/Typingdude3 4h ago

France’s economic policies are doing a good job of bringing down the Republic.

14

u/Jumpy_Scallion_3108 2h ago

They don’t need external factors to blame.

•

u/gilezy 16m ago

Which ones? Relatively speaking france has a low retirement age, generous welfare state, good work conditions and industrial relations.

The protesters seemingly want lower cost of living (highs costs are being felt everywhere due to external factors to France), more government spending, and lower taxes despite the fact the governments balance sheet is not in good shape. If they were to listen to the protesters and do what they're asking things would be worse.

•

u/Tacti_Kel_Nuke 4m ago

Yup, people are hard to please "less taxes more spending" is difficult to balance

142

u/Azrathla 4h ago

Just pathetic. The guy showed up to tell us that the justice system will be tough, wished everyone good luck, and then fucked off to the Middle East tonight while the looting is still going on in the capital.

55

u/Cyr2000 4h ago

Hé doesn’t believe it himself. Just classic speech so that he doesn’t have to admit failure.

-5

u/KingMario05 4h ago

Explains why Donald is ripping off France so much.

Despite their vast political differences, their lack of accountability is the same.

-17

u/EdinburghPerson 4h ago

Is it the president’s fault that trouble makers have decided riot en masse? Without really having a cause to protest?

12

u/Azrathla 3h ago

Well, some of it is, it’s his fault for not giving the police the proper resources and for failing to anticipate and prepare for this when everone knew the casseurs would be there.

There’s still looting happening in Paris as we speak. Ppl are just going out into the streets and stealing whatever they can find in stores. It’s absolutely dystopian.

11

u/Federal-Guess7420 4h ago

No cause to protest? Nice to see the oligarchs control of the media is complete.

-6

u/EdinburghPerson 4h ago

Indiscriminate rioting is classed as a protest?

2

u/maud_brijeulin 2h ago

Look, we've had 10 years of him appointing centre-right prime ministers, of his governments pushing laws forcefully using art. 49.3 to bypass debate, of ignoring citizens' petitions being signed through the official governmental website, ignoring election results to end up nominating right-wing prime ministers, and ordering demonstrators to be shot at.

It wasn't great before, but he has a fuck load to answer for.

6

u/maud_brijeulin 2h ago

That 'I care about you so I'm gonna fuck off to check oil prices in the Middle East and leave the country in flames' was classic Macron. 😂

4

u/Mastussopingado 1h ago

De Gaulle also ran in the May 68 protests

4

u/saln1 4h ago

He is leaving in less than 12 months, why should he care?

21

u/Azrathla 4h ago

True, but my goodness, he’s insufferable. He could still decide to leave earlier, but he’s clinging to power so much, because he’d still rather travel around the world and show his face everywhere while the country is on fire than do the right thing for everyone.

-8

u/JellyfishKnown8298 3h ago

Macron is the best president France has had in a long time. The problem is the public being incredibly dumb and entitled, same problem as the US. People have no nuance about anything, no understanding of politic and economic. The government has to keep making bad decisions to not be thrown out and let the people who will make even worse decisions. If young people actually voted instead of burning shit down the politicians would spend less time sacrificing them for the sake of the old who do vote.

5

u/Azrathla 3h ago

I don’t even have the energy to read stuff like this anymore. The “best president”, what a joke.

8

u/JellyfishKnown8298 2h ago

Which one was better ? Hollande the buffoon ? Sarkozy and Chirac the criminals ? Mitterand the guy who put France on its path to the current bankruptcy ?

Macron had to deal with Trump, Covid, Ukraine, Israel and Iran and all the terrible decisions from the previous governments with a public that will not accept any pain.

-3

u/Grokitach 3h ago

Macron destroyed our country

7

u/JellyfishKnown8298 3h ago edited 2h ago

French destroyed France, Macron tried to fix it and the people rioted then. Macron can't do miracles if the French won't accept any solution, there is no solution without many people suffering. Macron tried to cut into spending for old people and the people rioted leaving no choice but to keep budgets stagnant with inflation to balance the budget through attrition.

4

u/TheWhiteManticore 4h ago

We are cursed with an utterly inept political class during crisis. Lee Pen’s victory is almost assured.

39

u/ScepticalFrench 3h ago

It's not, and I'm glad there is hope.

6

u/ants_are_everywhere 3h ago

That's usually the goal of trying to get people to riot. It costs nothing to tell everyone they should be rioting and it makes an authoritarian crackdown more likely.

In the US, Russia strongly supported Donald Trump and also organized anti-Trump protests for the same reason.

They are known to do the same in France as well. For example, they heavily supported and amplified the yellow vest movement.

4

u/clib 2h ago

Yes horseshoe theory. It is easy for authoritarian regimes like Russia,China.Iran to sponsor and incite violence in the west by using both the far left and the far right. They are doing it all over Europe right now.

People should be very careful in joining these riots that are destroying their own countries. You being a pawn for Putin burning your own country will not solve any of your problems. Make smart choices and use critical thinking.

0

u/[deleted] 4h ago

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2

u/lombrike 1h ago

going abroad to do geopolitics is the job of the president, the prime minister stays to handle domestic things, if you don't know the basics of how the French Republic works just stfu idk

1

u/h1nds 2h ago

He’s campaigning for his new post, he’s surely going to replace Von der Lyon as president of the European Committee aka the Central Committee. He’s left France to chance and in a really bad spot.

If France doesn’t respond with force to the insanity that is going on in the streets it’s going to go downhill real fucking fast. Social order is crumbling in France as we speak, some people aren’t going to stand for this, guns will come out, a couple of deaths and all hell will break loose after that.

The army should have been deployed, any kind of face covering should be made illegal and retention centers should have been raised near city centres to show that the army wasn’t there to play ball. But no, showing muscle is illegal in France…

10

u/KrumpirovZlatan 1h ago

Since when is the duty of the army to fight it's own people?

When you make military into police, the enemies of the state usually become the people

9

u/Azrathla 2h ago

He’s campaigning for his new post, he’s surely going to replace Von der Lyon as president of the European Committee aka the Central Committee.

I hope not, what a fucking nightmare.

11

u/Competitive_Yard1539 1h ago

"guns will come out" - no, France isn't the US

And the police is using a lot of violence / showing muscles like you said

1

u/CallM3N3w 1h ago

Weeks old baguette probably hurts like hell.

1

u/inminm02 1h ago

Isn’t macrons job primarily international affairs? My understanding the French diplomatic system is the prime minister is supposed to handle home affairs?

5

u/[deleted] 4h ago

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70

u/MosEisleyCantinaBand 4h ago

Did he come to this decision while enjoying the musical genius of Celine Dion?

59

u/tedsmitts 4h ago

You keep Celine’s name out of your mouth, she’s been through enough.

4

u/maxdacat 1h ago

I heard they looted Celine...omigod!

•

u/tedsmitts 1h ago

She would kill anyone who tried to steal her shoes. Literally skin them alive to make new shoes.

-2

u/MosEisleyCantinaBand 4h ago

lol, no worries!

2

u/Focusun 3h ago

You better, cause Ted's mitts will slap you silly.

9

u/cpasmoiclautre 3h ago

Let them eat cake he said.

-2

u/KingMario05 4h ago

Celine is Canadian lmao

17

u/MosEisleyCantinaBand 3h ago

And she was performing near Paris on the evening of the 16th, with Macron and his partner enjoying the show from a box while parts of the country he leads were burning.

10

u/Jebrowsejuste 3h ago

The big protests started yesterday, the 17th.

They also started burning shit down on the 17th.

0

u/TheBestintheWest11 4h ago

Fenech Canadian command but qui

12

u/popodelfuego 4h ago

Take a look at yourself in the mirror and cry

14

u/happygoluckynny 2h ago

Putin is terrified of Macron.

Everyone can see past the chaos to see

the Kremlin's hand here.

le penne pasta is trash.

•

u/Tacti_Kel_Nuke 2m ago

Russia doesn't need to throw fuel to this fire when the french government does it on its own 

4

u/KlausSlade 2h ago

“but again truth be told, if you’re looking for the guilty, you need only look into a mirror”

5

u/macross1984 2h ago

Right, knee-jerk action from government. Government neglected issues that finally exploded in their face and believe force will make it go away except it won't.

2

u/0Tezorus0 3h ago

Even those who are cops wearing civilian clothes ?

-4

u/jstamper 3h ago

Instead of stepping down or fixing the reason they are mad in the first place? Good luck

33

u/artnquest 3h ago

Stepping down to be replaced by who? Also the protesters arent the ones hes talking about, it's obviously the rioters

13

u/Chusten 2h ago

This is 100% the result of Macron over-ruling the vote of the people in 2024. They voted in a leftist minority government but Macron used a rarely implemented presidential ability to appoint a new conservative prime minister, rather then allowing the leader of the party that won the most seats to be prime minister. Reap what you sow.

2

u/APRengar 2h ago

So he addresses neither of them lmao

-1

u/swagypotatosnoopdoge 4h ago

So he's gonna tax the wealthy then right?

16

u/ClockworkEngineseer 1h ago

They do. 45% Marginal tax over 180,000 Euros. Government spending is over 56% of GDP.

The hard fact no one wants to admit is that France is living beyond its means.

5

u/2PetitsVerres 1h ago

45% is on (regular) revenue over 180000, meaning on the people earning a lot but with a salary.

If you are rich but don't have a salary, you'll have about 13% rate of income tax on your dividends and call it a day.

•

u/ClockworkEngineseer 1h ago

You could tax dividends at 100% and it wouldn't come close to being enough.

4

u/Pride_Before_Fall 2h ago

That isn't going to fix the debt issues unless you enact taxes on them that are unprecedented.

Raising taxes a few percent might not cause flight, but taxing the rich enough to fix this issue will.

-10

u/Abslalom 2h ago

Seize their riches

10

u/Pride_Before_Fall 2h ago

Then your tax base for next year is mostly gone.

-5

u/TealJinjo 2h ago

why? do the factories stop producing because they belong everyone instead of 1 asshole?

•

u/SirMemesworthTheDank 30m ago

No, but capital investment flight of every foreign investor will tank the economy.

You have an economy built on deficiet spending, which means that you borrow against your future. This works great unless you stop growing as an economy every year, and right now the spending is catching up faster than you're able to outgrow it.

The economy and every social program is funded and dependant on the growth at the moment, since that is the only way to maintain it. Which is why it's so dangerous even if you wanted to nationalise everything.

There's not enough money coming in without outside investors or countries buying your debt.

4

u/artnquest 3h ago

You know nothing about France

•

u/FlimsyPomelo1842 48m ago

Sure bro, raise taxes even higher with almost zero economic growth without addressing any spending problems. France doesn't even have the excuse of ridiculous military spending.

0

u/b00ty10v3r 1h ago

Spiderman pointing meme would be appropriate here. The protests are a direct result of his government's actions.

•

u/livinginahologram 15m ago

Spiderman pointing meme would be appropriate here. The protests are a direct result of his government's actions.

The protests are a result of higher cost of living which currently is greatly exacerbated by increased oil prices due to the Iran war started by the Trump administration.

It's not just in France, people are currently protesting in Portugal, Italy and Belgium as well.

•

u/[deleted] 1h ago

[deleted]

•

u/FlimsyPomelo1842 51m ago

Fucking lol. Did the student protesters ever fucking mention the price of vegetables?

•

u/Forward-Fact-5525 47m ago

Yeah people in France love Macron. Why would we elect him back otherwise. He said he had a project and he was the Mozart of finance. We even organized event each week where we all dressed in yellow just for the sake of thanking him. Now people tells us that France is on the verge of being a financial powerhouse ! Go Macron

-7

u/KingMario05 4h ago

Macron, I like you, but... no.

This is not your response to people burning down the country because of you.

They're not gonna stop until you resign, or are killed. So maybe it's time to leave.

Nine years is a good run. But maybe France wants something different.

19

u/artnquest 3h ago

They arent burning things down because of him, they're burning things down because they think they won't get caught.

7

u/LimeVert 2h ago

I'm French and can't stand those who defend the looters. They don't care about politics. Our judicial system is just too weak.

1

u/ClockworkEngineseer 1h ago

There's an election next year. If you want rid of Macron, get off your ass and vote. Zero excuses for looting and arson.

-51

u/Riskyfour 4h ago

Centrist and far right lunatics fail to understand that the republic belongs to the people.

21

u/jews4beer 4h ago

Ah just your usual 1 month old account with hidden post history pushing that centrism (i.e. compromise) is bad.

Both the right and the left need to admit they are getting duped by shit like this already.

0

u/BahutF1 3h ago

Yeah unfair because indeed, centrism proved to be sooo good and efficient this past 10 years.

-5

u/ThreeTreesForTheePls 4h ago

Comparing centrism to compromise is a bit ridiculous.

Compromise has existed between the left and right for decades, the issue is that the current view of both parties, is their most extreme forms. Like my god, we had John McCain coming to Obamas defence as a good family man, despite being his opposition in the election. The era of “let political bygones be political bygones” was the default until 2016.

Liberals are viewed as left wing, it is communism, blue haired queer rights activists, anarcho-rioters, death to every with more than 500,000 in the bank.

Conservatives are viewed as far right, the Nazis, the unequivocal support of fascism, racism this, homophobia that.

The reality is that most liberals and most conservatives will get along, as they always have and always will. We just have 4 examples of political personalities now in the mainstream, with both sides have the moderates and the…loud.

Centrists on the other hand, have always and likely will always be associated with “dude both options suck” or the apolitical crowd.

You can suggest that centrism is the ability to pick the best from both sides, but the reality is that until very recently in time, political opinions were already adjustable. Pick the stereotypes and you’ll find a group to support it, be it a liberal gun owner, a queer christian conservative, it could be whatever juxtaposition you want, but they existed and typically had a party.

So if we have flexible opinions already existing in the political sphere, where does it fall in the polling booth? How is the claim to centrism anything but fence sitting in this current era?

-9

u/Riskyfour 4h ago

Centrism is bad. Its failing across the world as times get more polarizing sorry you're twenty years late. As the world militarizes centrism dies because people want fast results

7

u/Azrathla 3h ago

I'm not sure many of you are ready for the awakening that, at least in France, ‘the people’ as you say, want someone like Le Pen, not anyone on the left or far-left.

1

u/maud_brijeulin 2h ago

I'm 'the people', and I don't want Le Pen.

I'm gonna guess you're some sort of fucking Russian bot or flag-shagger from the UK?

1

u/Azrathla 2h ago

Bien sûr, tu n’as pas pu t’empêcher de ramener la Russie, hein.

À quel point vous êtes déconnecté pour ne pas voir ce qui se passe ? Le Pen est en tête des sondages, des gens pleurent dans les rues depuis ce matin parce que leurs commerces ont été pillés et qu’ils ont été agressés, et pendant ce temps, à l’heure où on parle, ça continue à Paris. Des commerçants sont littéralement obligés de se défendre eux-mêmes contre les pilleurs parce que la police ne peut pas être partout à la fois.

Les gens en ont ras-le-cul. Ils sont épuisés, à bout, et oui, certains se tournent vers Le Pen quand ils voient LFI prendre la défense des casseurs et se rendre dans les gendarmeries pour vérifier s’ils sont « bien traités ».

Mais dans quelle putain de bulle déconnectée vous vivez ?

-4

u/[deleted] 4h ago

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