But this time, according to officials and analysts, it’s different. And unrest here could have a lasting impact on France… perhaps the world. I have been covering protests in France for decades.
I lived in Paris for nine years. I know that the French are very skilled at taking politics to the street. The recent upheaval has many worried.
From all the people I hear from on the ground here, the rioting has been more violent, more destructive, more profound. Domestic strife seemingly out of control. FRANCE IS DEVOURING ITSELF AS SCHOOL RIOTS REVEAL A CRISIS FAR BIGGER THAN BROKEN CLASSROOMS When I approached the bar at a brasserie near Place de la Republique, the server asked if I was an American and a journalist.
After replying yes to both he concluded, "So you’ve come to cover the civil war." The numbers tell the tale. Some 2,500 arrests during the last weekend of clashes between protesters and police. Around 1,000 officers injured.
Many hurt, some seriously, on the activists’ side. And about 3,000 businesses impacted, trashed, looted. Damage estimated over one billion dollars.
FRANCE'S MASSIVE INTEL FAILURE SPARKS RESIGNATION OFFERS AMID DAYS OF RIOTING What was most striking were the attacks on official buildings. An historic city hall in Limoges. A police headquarters in crime-ridden Marseille.
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