You might be tempted to think of it as the French equivalent of the American TEA party, but the white flag waving, frog and snail eating, perfume wearing French have never amounted to much over the years. The "French Revolution" is one of their national prides - consisting of the storming of the Bastille where only 7 prisoners were kept, and yet they still celebrate it every year as "Bastille Day". Then there were some guillotines to dispatch a few thousand, and they unleashed the menace Napoleon on the rest of Europe to no lasting effect other than eventually electing him Emperor in spite of trying to get rid of the Monarchy in the first place. Needless to say, it took the Prussians to teach them a lesson and turn the place back into a Republic.
The French have a special place for their Marquis de Sade and his libertine sexuality, along with their recent penchant for electing pretty boys - in this case Macron, who seems to be the target for their recent uprising bordering on insurrection. All for raising the gasoline taxes - to combat Globull Warming.
And where is Jesus? - for a country that would embrace Jerry Lewis there is not much hope.
Quote:
'Yellow Jacket' protests in France leave gas stations running dry; Paris riots worst since 1968
Saturday's unrest was the worst in central Paris since a student uprising five decades ago.
Dec. 3, 2018 / 11:18 AM GMT / Updated Dec. 3, 2018 / 12:39 PM GMT
By Reuters
PARIS — "Yellow Jacket" protesters blocking access to 11 fuel depots belonging to one of the world's biggest oil companies have left gas stations running dry in France.
At least 75 of the company's 2,200 gas stations were out of fuel, a spokesman for energy giant Total said Monday.
For more than two weeks, protesters angry over gas taxes and the high cost of living have been blocking roads across France, impeding access to fuel depots, shopping malls and some airports.
Riot police were overrun on Saturday as protesters brought chaos to Paris' fanciest neighborhoods, torching dozens of cars, looting boutiques and smashing up luxury private homes and cafes in the worst disturbances the capital has seen since 1968.
More than 100 people were injured in the French capital and 412 arrested over the weekend.
The "Yellow Jacket" revolt erupted on Nov. 17 and poses a formidable challenge to President Emmanuel Macron as he tries to counter a plunge in popularity over his economic reforms, which are seen as favoring the wealthy.
The "Yellow Jacket" activists are named after the neon vests French drivers are obliged to carry in their vehicles in the case of roadside emergencies.
The movement began online as an impromptu rebellion against higher fuel prices but has morphed into a broader outpouring of anger over the squeeze that living costs are putting on middle-class household budgets.
Their core demand is a freeze on further planned tax increases on gas and diesel — the next is due in January — and measures to help bolster spending power.
But many have also called for Macron to quit.
Public support for the "Yellow Jackets" remains high, with seven-in-10 people backing their protest, according to a Harris Interactive opinion poll conducted after Saturday's unrest.
Macron says the increased fuel taxes are part of his effort to combat climate change, wanting to persuade French drivers to exchange diesel-fueled cars for less polluting models.
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https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/f...ng-dry-n942871
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