In response, public transport workers, truckers, students and other groups appear united for the largest general strike since 1995, starting on December 5. A general strike is the only way to really get an obstinate, out-of-touch government to stop their aristocratic machinations because it hurts the pocketbooks of the 1%.
But wait, there's more: Macron has promised similarly radical changes to the unemployment system next.
Macron's reforms are touching two enormous groups - 15 million pensioners, 6 million unemployed (though the real number is at least double that) - with nothing left to lose. Many youth and working adults understand that such US-aping reforms are going to gut their futures as well.
It's not as if such changes are coming in times of plenty: Eurozone stagnation, anti-democratic structures and neoliberal dogma is the real reason Brexit talk began in 2012, let's not forget. France and the Eurozone have both seen an (underreported) Lost Decade and huge rollbacks to social and workers' rights - these are the atrocious results of economic austerity, banker bailouts and Quantitative Easing policies.
Macron and his 1%-class wants to force through even more inequality-generating changes you think they won't throw Muslims under the bus to do it?
That's as laughable as the idea that French secularism is neutral, and not in favour of Christians and Jews: I've never heard any French commentator dare to insist that Hasidic Jews change their appearance, even though their dress is clearly religiously-inspired. I'd like to get some things done today but it's All Saints' Day, a national holiday in Catholic countries, so everyone is forced to take the day off in observance.
Macron's neoliberalism is forcing Muslims to suffer as Muslims and also as French citizens. Perhaps the only positive is that this shameful scapegoating - which will almost certainly prove deadly for innocent Muslims before long - proves that he's no "centrist" as so many Muslim commentators foolishly claimed in 2017, but on the far-right culturally as well as economically.
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
2
2
1
