Liberté, Égalité, Hyperbole

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A ‘Yellow Vest’ protest in Rouen, France; a mural in Paris by Pascal Boyart based on Eugene Delacroix’s painting Liberty Leading The People

Today, in The Irish Times

Lara Marlowe reports:

The revolt is ideologically closest to the far right.

Gratuitous violence, racism, sexism, anti-Semitism and homophobia are the dark side of the movement that has plunged France into its worst crisis of the past half century.

Like Donald Trump’s grassroots supporters in the US, the gilets jaunes deeply distrust traditional media.

Journalistes, collabos, journalistes, collabos,” they chant in front of television, radio and newspaper headquarters. Journalists are regarded as part of the elite, and as “collaborators” of the Macron administration.

The future of Europe, as well as the future of France, is at stake in Macron’s struggle quell the gilets jaunes.

Le gulp.

Yellow vests’ reactionary and populist traits not just a French problem (Lara Marlowe, The Irish Times)

Earlier: Force Majeure

Pic: Armani

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34 thoughts on “Liberté, Égalité, Hyperbole

  1. Daisy Chainsaw

    I don’t know about the French movement, but it’s certainly prevalent in the Irish Yellow Vests.

  2. Andrew

    Lara Marlowe and her fellow ‘journalist’s will be more than happy to go to bat for Macron and his globalist cronies.
    A blind eye will be turned to any violent crackdown’. Journalists have a track record in supporting and indeed evangelising for fascism.
    The fact is, Macron doesn’t realty have a mandate, he never did, such was the ridiculous behaviour of his opponents in the last election and the refusal by so many on the left to vote at all.
    You reap what you sow.

    1. rotide

      >the refusal by so many on the left to vote
      >You reap what you sow.

      That answers that.

      Also, he was elected. That equals a mandate in the real world, regardless what goes on in your head.

      1. Fairhill

        60% of the Speed cameras are gone, because they destroyed them, bring some more civil disobedience to Ireland that’s what I want to see….

        Is that Leo at the front door?

        They opened a lot of the toll roads and stopped charging drivers. Bring it on no sign of the MSM reporting it here in case it spreads

    2. Dub Spot

      +1798

      “Journalistes, collabos, journalistes, collabos,” they chant in front of television, radio and newspaper headquarters. Journalists are regarded as part of the elite, and as “collaborators” of the Macron Irish Times Property Page and FG Spin Unit administration.”

      How could they possibly draw the conclusion that Irish Times journalists are not likeable or trustable?

  3. Nicorigo

    The revolt is ideologically closest to the far right.

    Gratuitous violence, racism, sexism, anti-Semitism and homophobia are the dark side of the movement that has plunged France into its worst crisis of the past half century.

    Like Donald Trump’s grassroots supporters in the US, the gilets jaunes deeply distrust traditional media.

    We wonder why that is (the distrut) Lara….

  4. baz

    Lara ‘marbles’ upset that the pee ons have wised up to mainstream media and their manipulation and twisting of truth

  5. Dr.Fart MD

    this is the third time today alone, i’ve read journalists hammering home the lie that the yellow vest protesters are far right, and to demonise them and generally deter any revolt spreading. Well done, Lara, you’ve done your masters bidding, now step to the side along with all the other ‘no nuts’ journalists we can all see thru.

    1. Spaghetti Hoop

      It’s such a mouldable crisis to any journo’s, or indeed person’s prejudices.
      Any French residents on BS? I would much rather read their take on things.

      1. Janet, I ate my avatar

        A lot of my friends are fully behind the yellow best movement and they are definitely not far right, if anything calling for a system that stops catering to the elite, calling for a France to become truly socialist again and not just in lip service

        1. Spaghetti Hoop

          Interesting, thanks Janet. My Toulouse friends had recently moved back a month ago – from a country with a lot more violence on the streets – and while not taking sides, they just felt that the once ‘safe and civilised Europe’ is now a myth, and demonstrative violent protest will intensify in France and will spread geographically like the Wall St. movement.

        2. rotide

          The fact that you don’t know what the Gullet Jaune stands for says a lot.

          There are certainly lots of people rioting and protesting in yellow vests, but that’s not what the movement was about.

    2. Dr.Fart MD

      it’s such an unashamed attempt to smear protestors by labelling them to be party to “Gratuitous violence, racism, sexism, anti-Semitism and homophobia” with literally NO citations/examples given. And she says they don’t trust the mainstream media, like we’re all meant to be thinkin “oh my god! they dont trust, the highly reputable and never one sided, mainstream media?” .. like we have no experience of how they carry on here. If she wanted to turn us against what yellow vests are doing, she shouldnt have presumed we all believe the media and hold them in as high regard as she’d like.

  6. shitferbrains

    Marlow has been hanging on desperately hoping no-one would notice what the movement really is. Fisk in a frock.

    1. bisted

      …oh dear…who poked that wasps nest…gillets jaunes must be shaking the zionist ivory tower in France…

      1. realPolithicks

        You and your constant references to zionist and zionism…do you see a jew under every bed too?

  7. Davey Duck

    Funny just responded to a comment on another thread about all the ‘far right’ commenters on Broadsheet these days…

    IT commenter perhaps – ‘far right’ seems to be their phrase of choice. Makes a change from ‘curated’ I guess.

  8. Eoin

    Journalists from some traditional media have been attacked by some Dílsí Buí who say that the traditional media is owned by an elite who protect their own interests at the expense of society. Does that sentiment ring any bells here….

    For media watchers, there’s an interesting new French media outlet, Brut News Network, it’s a completely digital outfit and has been supportive of the Gilets.

    https://brut.live/en/

  9. Lush

    +1 Janet.
    I’m in the Bordeaux region. The great majority of those I know who are involved in, and supportive of, the gilet jaune movement are anything but far right. Though I have observed, as we head towards our 10th Saturday of protests, that the far right are definitely in evidence.
    All that being said, things do seem, in places, to be getting more violent. And the media, including well-known left-leaning editions, are being increasingly targeted. It is also true that the 24-hour news chains, such as BFM, seem to focus much more on the negative, violent aspects of the protests than the vast, peaceful majority.
    There is also a huge amount of fake social media/Facebook posts circulating, which only serve to enflame an already tense situation

    1. SOQ

      You’ll be not expecting instant posts on this site. If the underlying platform went any slower at times, it would be going backwards. Probably trying to screw BroadSheet for more money. Not conspiratorial, just personal experience.

      Issue a final warning then just move it John.

    2. Bertie Blenkinsop

      The way you keep posting the same thing I’m wondering if it’s the Bordeaux aisle you’re in, Lush…. :)

      1. Lush

        Ha! I know Bertie, the shame.
        Technical difficulties; I edited and reposted a number of times. Thought I was editing anyway.

  10. phil

    Have a look at Channel 4 news coverage , they went over to try and understand, in fact dont stop there, read the IT if you must , but dont stop there …

  11. Gabby

    In the mural illustrating this quote from Lara Marlow, Marianne should be wearing a gilet jaune to cover her modesty.

  12. Seanie

    The pure joy in seeing an IT journalist outraged by the ever growing discontent of the masses is only surpassed by reading the even more outraged outpourings of its comment section. Great stuff …and 1 little correction , Macron , Merkel , The EU,, Leo Fg, FF, Junker, Tusk and the Irish Times are not “the centre” …They are very much free marketeer pro big business Tories in the Thatcher mould …so they are the “right”

    MSM Journalists might earn some respect if they could even bring themselves to admit that

  13. f_lawless

    https://twitter.com/Bellingdawg/status/1081563567273447424
    interesting to learn the story behind the crazy ‘Donkey jacket protestor in the above vid.
    From a recent article by Diana Johnstone:

    “On the 8th Saturday, January 5, a squad of plexiglass-protected police were violently attacking Gilets Jaunes on a bridge over the Seine when a big guy lost his temper, emerged from the crowd and went on the attack. With his fists, he beat down one policeman and caused the others to retreat. This amazing scene was filmed. You could see Yellow Vests trying to hold him back, but Rambo was unstoppable.

    It turned out that this was Christophe Dettinger, a French Rom, former light heavyweight boxing champion of France. His nickname is “the Gypsy of Massy”. He got away from the scene, but made a video before turning himself in. “I reacted badly”, he said, when he saw police attacking women and other defenseless people. He urged the movement to go ahead peacefully.

    Dettinger faces seven years in prison. Within a day, his defense fund had gathered 116,433 euros. The government shut it down – on what legal pretext I don’t know. Now a petition circulates on his behalf.”

  14. Yann

    Lara Marlow (who I usually like her articles and analysis) is only taking one small aspect of the whole gilet jaune story and it represents well the reason why some in this movement are taking on the media saying that they are biased (and I am not going to go down the path that Mr Macron’s support during the last presidential election was supported financially by every single major news groups in France). Unfortunately, 4 guys on a roundabout demonstrating peacefully since Novembre does not sell papers! Then, social media allows all sorts of rubbish to be spread around and mount people against each other. This movement is very representative of what is, I believe, a time bomb every where: The ones living in cities are dictating to the ones living in the country side what they should do despite the fact that their needs are completely different. All the western policies (and in the developing world) are to concentrate jobs, public services, health services and activities in and around cities. Therefor, money is in the cities and the ones who cannot afford to live there anymore end expelled to the country with fewer jobs, having to travel long distance to go to work, school, courts and hospitals, less services for the elderly and fewer health and public services. Examples are numerous and not only in France, the vote on Brexit, the election of D.Trump, the housing crisis and internet access or water supply sham in Ireland and now the gilets jaunes in France, mass consumerism, pollution and complete disconnection from nature all over the World. The gap between the two is becoming way too big all over the “developed world” and I believe is the root cause of popularism! Until this kind of thinking which only focus on cities needs and forgetting where the food people eat, the energy that supply them and the air and water they need to live comes from and that a lot of people are still working and living down the country on which they rely on to be able to survive or indulge in cities, nothing will change until this issu is seriously dealt with. Open your eyes because it is becoming scary!

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