Paris Housing Hell (4) it is oppression & it is political

by Michael Mon Nov 14, 2005 22:05

French media, including websites, are indeed obliged to monitor comments and messages from guests. It was all in the papers a few years ago when eBay France were caught making a profit from the sale of Nazi memorabilia. Likewise there's EU legislation obliging mobile phone companies not only to store records of all our conversations, text messages and so on for six months or more, but they also need to install new technology to be able to triangulate and thus pin-point a mobile phone user in real time.

The great irony is that while ICCL and their like have been sleeping, it's been global hypercapitalist scum in Vodafone, Yahoo and Google who've been trying to resist these sort of laws (because it'll mean lots more hassle).

Final irony: Sarkozi is one of the only politicians in France, left or right, who publicly supports affirmative action (la discrimination positive).

by Mr Chirac in specs. Tue Nov 15, 2005 00:11

"These events bear witness to a profound malaise. Some people have set fires in the very neighbourhoods in which they live.
They burned their neighbours' and their families' cars. They've attacked their schools, their colleges.
This is a crisis of direction, a crisis in which people have lost their way, it is a crisis of identity. We will respond to this by being firm, by being fair, and by being faithful to France's values.
Violence never solves anything. When you belong to our national community, you respect its rules.
In the face of the suffering and problems of so many of our fellow citizens - in particular, some who are among the most vulnerable - the first necessity is to re-establish public order.
I have given the government the means to act. I have decided to propose to parliament that it extends the law of 3 April 1955 (allowing for a state of emergency) for a limited time.
Those who attack property and people have to know that in the Republic, you do not violate the law without being arrested, prosecuted and punished.
Problems, difficulties - many French people have them. But violence never solves anything. When you belong to our national community, you respect its rules.
Children and teenagers need values, points of reference. Parental authority is of capital importance. Families must shoulder all their responsibilities.
Those who refuse must be punished as provided for in the law. On the other hand, those who are going through great difficulties must be actively supported.
We must all be proud of belonging to a community which has the will to bring to life the principles of equality and of solidarity.
We know well that discrimination saps the very foundations of our Republic... But let us not deceive ourselves: this fight can only be won if we each take a real and personal stand.
Companies and union organizations must also work actively on the essential question of diversity and of the employment of young people from problem districts.
My dear compatriots, let us be lucid, let us be courageous. Let us learn every lesson from this crisis. Each person must respect the rules. Each person must know that you do not violate the law with impunity.
But let us also come together and be faithful, in our actions, to the principles that make France. The whole national community will emerge better and stronger from it, and you can count on my determination. Long live the Republic and long live France."

by iosaf Tue Nov 15, 2005 15:11

The Socialist opposition followed by Communist party and Green party will vote against it. If it passes it will goto the Senate tomorrow afternoon. There will be 2.5 hours of debate.

The following unions have also declared the opposition to the continuation of emergency law in the Republic.-

CGT (largest trade union9, Lutte ouvrière (workers' struggle), la Ligue des droits de l'homme (human rights league), la FSU, le MRAP, and ATTAC.

Tomorrow evening there will be a rally of all groups opposed to the draconian, non-democratic, non-republican, non-egalitarian confrontational measures being adopted by the French state led by the UMP.

Assembly at the fountain of Saint Michel, central Paris.

by iosaf Wed Nov 16, 2005 14:57

But what is more interesting is the news from Madrid, that the French authorities have "intercepted" emails and phone calls from a "variety" of anti-capitalist and anti-system groups in France proposing an "attack" on Barcelona for the forthcoming euro-mediterranean summit which will be celebrated in Barcelona on the 27th and 28th of November.

The summit will mark the 10th anniversary of the Barcelona Process, which was supposed to offer a way for the states (now numbering 35) of the mediterranean, from the affluent EU to war torn Palestine, from Israel to Lebanon, From Libya to Serbia, From Morocco to Egypt to "improve everything". [details in english http://www.bcn.es/barcelona+10/english/welcome.htm ]

The Barcelona police have concurred that they expect [?!?!] "trouble" and as reported in today's press "are not hiding their fear that an echo and mimic effect will see many cars burnt during the summit".

I'm going to be there, as will most of BCN. This is the first high level summit since the World Bank (which we cancelled) but I promise you all now-

I'm not going to burn any cars.

by iosaf Thu Nov 17, 2005 13:55

last night 98 vehicles burned in France
and only 33 arrests the prefacture of French police has decided it doesn't need to continue keeping records.

"its all over". This raises questions, Belgium has had less than 98 cars burnt since the 7th of November.
: So why wasn't that normal?
If its normal now, why is there a 3 month extention of curfew laws and emergency powers?

by iosaf Thu Nov 24, 2005 11:58

The staff of liberation the newspaper are on 24 hour strike. It was voted for last monday and began yesterday at around 14h00 and will end later this afternoon (around buttered scone time in rural ireland).
the communique from the Unions
http://libe.com/communique-intersyndic.php
the communique from the directors office
http://libe.com/communique-dir.php

Its just one of many strikes in France at the moment. The railworkers are on strike
http://www.lemonde.fr/web/article/0,1-0@2-3224,36-713303@51-707037,0.html
The student teachers just did a 24 hour strike.
http://www.lemonde.fr/web/article/0,1-0@2-3226,36-713586@51-705317,0.html
and the country is still technically in a state of emergency even though less than 20 cars get burnt a night.

Later today the assembly will begin a debate on new terror laws which will allow yet more surveillance of internet and mobiles.

by iosaf Sat Dec 24, 2005 13:54

The transfiguration of Poverty in 2005.

The beginning of 2005 our understanding of our role in fighting poverty ought to have been very different to that we have now at the end of the year. The cynical posturing of Blair with Geldof at the G8 came so quickly after what might have seemed a wider acceptance of the Left's complaint which stopped the €U constitution. That our very succesful Euromayday mobilisations might have waned in importance. Attention went to Global poverty rather than precarity and inequality "at home".
But we know that poverty in Ireland got worse.
http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=71672
No-one may pretend that Global poverty improved either. I'm not even going to treat upon that on Christmas eve 2005. Rather I want to remind everyone what occured in France and how it made Sarkozy a most popular politician. For it was a very dramatic introduction of an important variable :- "mindless violence".
____________________________________________

What occured (we all agreed) was rooted in poverty, but had no proper political expression or context. It was we moved quickly to agree "mindless violence" supported by new technology which spread photos taken by teenagers of their communities in flames throughout France and most notably in other states Belgium.
http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=72857
http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=72841
http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=72821

Today Sarkozy is front page news again, as teenagers have burnt cars "over the threshold" these last nights. France is in its first month of extended emergency and the petrol is on restricted sale again. Sarkozy gave an interview to the 'Liberation' newspaper this week and Collective Neuf (collective 9) on the libertarian left of Paris have issued a poster linking him to Le Pen. This has met with mixed responses especially after arrests were made of members of that group. http://libe.com/page.php?Article=347216
http://paris.indymedia.org/article.php3?id_article=48605
We perhaps see his office prepare his long planned political future with an image undoubtedly designed to find support amongst those "french voters" who want more authoritarianism. & as the balance of state power and the example being set by the French moves to "authoritarianism", the whole range of "liberties" taken before for granted by those on the libertarian left ("us lot") are attacked so quickly we barely have time to take stock.

Needless to say Sarkozy's remedy for the "mindless violence" rooted in poverty has not tackled the causes of such inequality.
http://libe.com/page.php?Article=347257
France is poorer than ever before.

But what of the example set to neighbours & friends?

On the 19th of December a 50 year old woman was burnt to death by three teenagers in Barcelona in a bank lobby where she was sleeping. They came from wealthy backgrounds and had previously attacked indigents and swapped photos on their mobile phones and internet. Apparantly they targeted homeless people in this way "for fun" and "to clean up" their city. At the same time a hotly debated raft of anti-social laws came up for voting. It seems despite firm arguments to the contrary that there are "voters" who want more authoritarianism. The people wanted their city "cleaned" of grafiti, prostitutes, indigents, street vendors...
http://www.elcarreresdetothom.blogspot.com/
So the night of the 22nd we had the last cassolada (of banging pots and pans) and 400 of us assembled to revindicate our rights as citizens of that city and particularly the "old city" where poverty & exploitation may not be so easily hidden. They passed their laws. http://www.vilaweb.com/www/noticia?p_idcmp=1669291
And now talk of a split in the "tripartite" coalition which rules the city and country, and for good reason. The ecosocialists sided with us on the libertarian left in rejecting such authoritarian "anti-social" legislation. The nationalists either republican ERC in government or just catalan CiU in opposition supported it. But both fell shy of linking the murder of an indigent "clockwork orange style" with the imposition of draconian order on the street its supporters or detractors...

So as last night, kids in Paris burn cars again, and French workers consider their year of more strikes than last. And two youths attempted to burn a 42 year old homeless woman alive in Malaga, Spain.
I want us all to consider as the Parisien libertarian left are doing now,

"was it just mindless violence after all???"

by iosaf Mon Jan 02, 2006 14:38

New Year's Eve (2005/2006)saw 425 vehicles burnt in France.
This is slightly up on New Year's Eve (2004/2005) when 333 cars were burnt.

O course France wasn't under a state of emergency in 2004 and 333 cars being burnt wasn't newsworthy. France is still under a state of emergency and 425 cars getting burnt is not so newsworthy.

There were 267 arson incidents on New Year's Eve 05/06 (NYH) as opposed to 132 NYH 04/05.

France will continue to be in a state of non-newsworthy emergency till February 21st.

by iosaf calloo callay Tue Jan 03, 2006 13:38

This is the last night kids can burn cars and it be ignored for wider political or social reasons. From tomorrow night they will burn cars for wider political and social reasons.

- Exactly what's changed?

Well, France is now not in emergency for one thing, and French cars still get burnt. This had nothing to do with the veil, it was something else. It probably wasn't so important, and we'll forget about it all soon enough.

Now coz I like archiving this is the decree that started the emergency :-
http://medias.lemonde.fr/mmpub/edt/doc/20051109/708103_joe_20051109_0261_0006.pdf

and here are the news stories that ended it
http://www.lemonde.fr/web/article/0,1-0@2-3224,36-726704@51-704172,0.html

by Newspapers Fri Aug 18, 2006 21:49

In effect the police :- carrying battering Rams evicted 1,000 women and children from the squat.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/france/story/0,,1852902,00.html