French Protests Continue

[Rokenn]

Originally posted by Timber Loftis: Rokenn, fist it's Venti, not mega. Second, it doesn't bother you because you *agree* with the protest. Howsabout the police corner you for no reason and make you listen about how you should support the war? Or howsabout you get stuck in traffic for an hour having to listen to a pro-war rally? That's the more appropriate analogy here.

I wouldn't know about the Venti part I hate starbuck's and only go there when there is no other choice [img]smile.gif[/img] . I have to correct you on the the second part though. I would not feel much different if it had been a pro-war rally or any other group demonstrating for that matter. But the analogy breaks down with the police cornering someone to express their views. As that would seem to me to be an abuse of their authority, police are and should be held to a higher standard then an average person.

[Azred]

It is truly sad that a few "rotten apples" would become violent and spoil an anti-war protest for those who are true believers in peace. If they are so dedicated to peace, why are they becoming violent? [img]graemlins/1ponder.gif[/img] Whatever happened to good old-fashioned sit-ins? [img]graemlins/beigesmilewinkgrin.gif[/img]

There were some rallies here in Dallas, but nothing got out of hand, thank goodness.

[Ronn_Bman]

Originally posted by Grojlach: Quote: Originally posted by Donut: This is the report from the BBC on the first day of protests. You'll note that France hardly merits a mention. Mass arrests at US peace demo [article]

Thanks, Donut; that proves my earlier made point that some media in the US has a completely different approach and agenda at bringing the news. Saying that "a lot of schoolchildren were protesting in France" as the BBC did gives an entirely different image of the situation than an "a McDonald's was destroyed during riots in Paris" kind of approach. It may have happened both, but I'm sure people can see the difference between these ways of presenting the news and the difference in people's initial responses. [/QUOTE]I have to be honest with you guys. I heard about the French protest resulting in the damage to a McDonald's here in this thread, and not on the news. I watch the news quite a bit, and I did see stories about the US protests that were blocking traffic yesterday, but I didn't see anything about protests anywhere else.

I'm not sure if that's good or bad. [img]tongue.gif[/img]

(Maybe it was mentioned in passing and I missed it while posting here [img]smile.gif[/img] )

[Ziroc]

Originally posted by Reeka: Just heard that in Paris there has been a big protest before the French embassy and they destroyed the McDonald's in Paris.

Oh well.. I think Mc Donalds is nasty anyway.. They Promote weight gain and clogged arteries anyway..

Now.... Don't TOUCH my Subway.. We's gots a PROB'M den!

[Timber Loftis]

True, Z, I just ate Subway yesterday for lunch (with all the HOT stuff ). But, as McD's is an Oak Park, IL based company, I hate it that it is always the first target for overseas protests. The company is, in fact, not having the best of times. I'd hate to see more jobs cut in Chicago - we've lost too many this year.

[WOLFGIR]

Hmm, well seems you have all been having the good end of protesting lately..

Here in Gothenburg we had police shoot a demontstrant, and also yours truly dodged stones er let me rephrase that, political arguments made reality or something.. And they got away with it.

Also here MC DOnalds always gets burnde or vandlaized.. not because it is american all the time but it is a sign of capitalism.. go figure..

A report from Sweden said that there were thousands of people demonstrating against the war here as well. Well all over the world actually.

Now the politicians tries to come out with clean faces from wherever and try to follow suit to the political whirlwind created by it. Ptwi..

I can once again only state that I hopes this will be over quickly with as few casulties as possible. Saw some interviews from London (think it was, came in a bit late)today where som Islamics were protesting, seemed like a few were shouting things that would seriously not help the Islamic rest of the world understanding along nicely.

Too many sides, too many fractions and the worst is yet to come.

[Indemaijinj]

Yeah it's retarded that the rioters always turn their anger towards MacDonald's.

It has become kind of a symbol on the corporate controlled capitalist society of the Man, or something.

Yet the other problems is somewhat of McD's own making. The problem is that the European market for MacDonald's fast food is saturated. There is no room for expansion left and I think that McDonald's have overexpanded a bit. In the town where I live, for example, there are two McDonald's outlets, both within walk distance from town centre (it is not that big).

Now, wasnt that a big [img]graemlins/offtopic.gif[/img] , now let's get back on track.

[ 03-21-2003, 06:03 PM: Message edited by: Indemaijinj ]

[Ronn_Bman]

It just seems to me that people of the world would find the cruel monarchy of Burger King much more worthy of protest.

[Davros]

I have been to the Burger Kink on the Champs Elysees - I have memories of the rest room there - not fond ones mind you .

I was dragged in there by a swag of beautiful young Autralian girls who were too timid to order at a cafe or sandwich bar because of their inability to speak the lingo. I offered to help then with my limited mastery of Francais and endless array of hand signals, but they just wanted to be somewhere where they could point at the pictures to order (sigh).

[Memnoch]

You guys can be quite amusing when you argue over and over in circles. Just make sure that embers don't become flames, and we don't resort to trying to push emotional buttons to get reactions - I saw a bit of it happening here, thankfully it was averted.

Here's an interesting story that appeared in they Sydney Morning Herald the day the war started.


Date: 20th March 2003
By Mike Seccombe

The scene which unfolded outside the Prime Minister's Canberra residence yesterday morning could not have happened in any other country. And that is probably to Australia's credit.

A few minutes before 6am, a bunch of four-wheel drives - painted to look like United Nations vehicles - drove up and blocked four entrances to The Lodge.

About 40 Greenpeace protesters chained themselves to the gates and to the undersides of the the trucks, or held up banners pronouncing "Howard's war a bloody disgrace" and "John Howard, War Criminal".

It took them all of a minute to have the blockade in place. Then about 20 police turned up, but instead of busting heads, they stood by and watched.

Now, imagine if a bunch of protesters tried to blockade the White House. Some Clint Eastwood wannabe with a magnum under his coat and a wire in his ear would probably have killed someone. Certainly, people would have been brutalised and clapped in irons. In Iraq, there would have been a massacre.

But not here. It was a crisp, fine autumn morning. Overhead, flocks of hot air balloons drifted in the calm; no one was the slightest bit agitated. Federal police obviously decided, as the NSW police had the day before, that these people looked and acted like protesters, not terrorists.

Police, media and Greenpeace members chatted and smiled. One demonstrator brought a big box of doughnuts, which were shared with the cops. Drivers on Adelaide Avenue, the major artery which runs past The Lodge, tooted their approval and waved.

So threatened did Mr Howard feel that he slipped out as usual for his morning walk, pausing briefly on his return to exchange a few words with the Greenpeace group. Each asked the other to respect their views.

The Prime Minister went inside, but emerged again about 8am through a side gate to be driven the short distance to Parliament. Later, he told radio he had no worries about his security, and endorsed people's right to peaceful protest.

Police used bolt cutters to free protesters chained to the fence. For a while it appeared three men would have to be forcibly unchained from beneath the 4WD parked outside The Lodge's front gate. But they eventually agreed to hand over the key and were taken peacefully away to be charged with a breach of the peace.

Greens leader Bob Brown quipped that the protesters should have been charged with upholding the peace.

They had made their anti-war point, and had shown something more: why our society is superior to the flawed and violent one over which George Bush presides, and to most others in the world.

Of course, some will say the blockading 4WDs could have been packed with explosives, just as the protesters on the Opera House the day before could have been packing weapons instead of paintbrushes.

But the point is, they weren't.

Maybe that explains why Australians so overwhelmingly wish to avoid involvement in conflicts between more fanatical nations.



I guess this is what we're looking for - they got the attention, they got the publicity for their cause and probably swayed more people than if they'd turned up foaming at the mouth and throwing bottles, etc. It's all about influencing people, not just getting your message across at the end of the day. No point in getting your message across if you alienate the very people you're trying to convince.