RT NewsAround 17,000 people staged a ‘Day of Anger’ demonstration in central Paris on Sunday to slam French President Francois Hollande’s policies.
Protesters carried banners that read, “The French are angry!” along with signs portraying Hollande wearing donkey ears with a school grade of Zero which read, “You, President Resign.”
The demonstrators marched from Place de la Bastille to Les Invalides, braving rainy weather as they went along.
The rally was organized by a group of around 50 small and mainly right-wing organizations.
The demonstrators gathered to protest against France’s struggling economy, high unemployment, high taxes, and lack of personal freedoms.
“Today they are taking our money from all sides. There are new taxes all the time. We have had enough!” protester Johan Bonnain told AP.
A demonstrator displays a leaflet which reads, “Hollande Resign” as several thousand people attend the “Journee de la Colere” (Day of Anger) march in protest of France’s President Francois Hollande, in Paris January 26, 2014. (Reuters/Philippe Wojazer)
Some called for France’s withdrawal from the European Union. Others called for the repeal of laws legalizing same-sex marriages.
The crowd complained about the recent scandal involving Hollande’s personal life, which led to the end of his seven-year relationship with France’s first lady, Valerie Trierweiler.
“You are here to say you are fed up,” an organizer told the crowd, adding that the country’s leaders “are more preoccupied with their affairs…than unemployment,” AFP reported.
Police reported several attacks on journalists. Activists from the controversial protest group Femen were removed from the scene after insulting protesters, ITAR-TASS reported.
France is struggling to cope with huge levels of unemployment. In December, the Labor Ministry issued a report which showed that the number of people registered as “out of work” in mainland France had grown by 17,800 in November to 3.29 million. The government recently announced plans for 50 billion euro (US$68 billion) in spending cuts between 2015 and 2017, in an effort to revive the economy.
Demonstrators hold a banner which reads, “Hollande Resign” as several thousand people attend the “Journee de la Colere” (Day of Anger) march in protest of France’s President Francois Hollande, in Paris January 26, 2014. (Reuters/Philippe Wojazer)
A demonstrator holds a banner which reads, “Hollande Resign” as several thousand people attend the “Journee de la Colere” (Day of Anger) march in protest of France’s President Francois Hollande, in Paris January 26, 2014. (Reuters/Philippe Wojazer)
What the poor fools ought to call for is commodity money,less government,more individual responsibility,self discipline,free trade,honest banks and no war.They always want more of the same shit they’re whining about to begin with.The sad part is it’s really through no fault of their own.They have been weaned on socialism and see their situation as needing a new leader from the ranks of politics rather than coming to the realization that societies can organize themselves without the oppressive taxation and war provided by the state.Leaders abound in free society if your looking for either one.State intervention in the economy causes unemployment ,so how do you intend to solve unemployment through state intervention?Government is not you.They help themselves to your wealth.You pay them to steal your money along with your freedom and dignity.And yet when you protest you demand more of the same.You despise the government for stealing your wealth but you love them for returning a portion of it to you,as if it had belonged to the state all along.Don’t look to thieves and murderers for salvation.That’s my unsolicited advice to France.I know this firsthand because I live in the United States.
After the French Revolution how many governments did it take until they got what they wanted and how many people were executed to get there?