In the US we would have charged them with making terrorist threats...

[RGBVideo]

police actions have been decisively politicized during the last 10 years, all over western europe

if violence comes from left-wing activists (pro-establishment in EU), it isn't really violence and the "demonstrators" need to be only overlooked.

or, in other words:

There's a reason the police doesn't intervene then : the government is trying to have social peace.

[Spiffor]

How do you encourage an enviroment where social peace blooms by turning a blind eye to an enviroment of violence, kidnapping, and a burgeoning protection racket?

It's not about social peace blooming.

It's about avoiding a bunch of isolated riots (right now, what happens is fairly tame compared to what we have seem, and what some activists push for. We could most definitely have riots if things get pushed). Especially as those riots might grow into something bigger. And worse : something the French population and the right-wing voter base might sympathetise with.

[Felch]

I guess Europeans don't even bother paying lip service to the idea of "equal protection before the law."

[dannubis]

Thanks for prooving my earlier point.

[dannubis]

What do you expect? Somebody posts a fairly incredible abrogation of responsibility by the French judicial system and dannubis comes out with an argument to indicate that no criticism coming from any citizen of a nation with arguably flawed judicial precedents in the last few years on a wholly distinct subject can be accepted as legitimate.

Calling him a moron is the most productive thing we can do to him. His post was so blatantly ridiculous that no more reasoned response is worthwhile.

Intellectual honesty

[Spiffor]

I guess Europeans don't even bother paying lip service to the idea of "equal protection before the law."

I don't know for "Europeans". But in France, we do use plenty of rhetorics about "L'Etat de droit" (basically, the idea of applying the rule of law for everyone and everywhere on the territory).

Those rhetorics are used selectively, however, depending on who the troublemaker is. Talking about "l'Etat de droit" is extremely deja-vu when the troublemakers are the young from destitue suburbs. It also used to be quite fashionable when talking about Corsica.

In reality, of course, French politics isn't too motivated by equal protection before the law : we have a few politicians, especially on the centre-left, who push for this agenda, and that's about it. Fortunately, we also have competent (though overworked) judges, who are very jealous of their independence and don't receive orders easily. So, when it comes to justice, the situation is not seen as bad enough by the voters that it becomes a pressing political issue.

The same can't be said about the police. The police is a tool of the government, which is used in a petty politician fashion. If the government had expected to make political gain by having the police charge the workers we're talking about in this thread, it'd have done so without hesitation.

[Spiffor]

Or in short : we do pay lip service. We just do it when convenient. France

[KrazyHorse]

Intellectual honesty

You obviously have no clue what that means. Not that I would expect you to, you buffoon.

[DinoDoc]

It's about avoiding a bunch of isolated riots (right now, what happens is fairly tame compared to what we have seem, and what some activists push for. We could most definitely have riots if things get pushed).

So violence, terrorism, and kidnapping are a-OK with the French government and as long as they keep it below a certain level such activity will have the implicit sanction of the state. Is that what you are saying?

[Colonâ„¢]

There was incident a few years ago in which fired factory workers threatened to blow up the plant and dump toxics into the Meuse river unless their demands were met (restarting production or severance packages beyond those legally required). 5000 liters of sulfuric acid actually were spilled even though fireguards were could stop it before it actually reached the Meuse.
The factory was located right next the border with Belgium. A major spill would affected about 1 kilometer of the river in France and the biggest impact would have been in Belgium, where it (indirectly) forms a major source of water supply...

It infuriates me to no end that these workers ran off with a juicy deal rather than put in prison. And I don't give a rat's arse about the previous history of the company and the situation in the area. It's inexcusable.

[Space05us]

Note to self, do not work as middle management in France. They are not people, they are playthings for angry union employees.

Are the families of the managers not upset by what's going on? If my mother, father, or sister were kidnapped because some knucklehead wanted better pay and the government didn't do anything about it I would redefine union busting.

Maybe that's the problem. France needs more private gun ownership.

[KrazyHorse]

France sucks

[ricketyclik]

Maybe that's the problem. France needs more private gun ownership.

Oh yeah, then the middle management would be really safe.

[OneFootInTheGrave]

Time for Americans to learn something from the French, at least there will finally be some proper use for all those guns.

France

[Spiffor]

So violence, terrorism, and kidnapping are a-OK with the French government and as long as they keep it below a certain level such activity will have the implicit sanction of the state. Is that what you are saying?

I disagree with the words "a-OK" and "implicit sanction of the state".

The French government is right wing. It's a staunch advocate of capitalism, and intends to "moralize" capitalism (and you and Iwill agree on it being pure PR crock since capitalism is amoral). So the government doesn't like at all that capitalists are getting threatened. They are also using stern words.

Unlike most posters in this thread, however, the French government also uses a healthy dose of pragmatism. There are many tensions existing nationwide, which are still quiet for the time being. A crackdown on the spectacular actions might very well inflame them.

As long as the hard strikes are marginal and appeasable, businesses have a much easier time to do business as usual. A crackdown would increase class consciousness, something big business and the government definitely don't want.