French Protesters Drop the Mask: This Is About Smashing Capitalism, Not Fixing Schools
A reporter interviewing demonstrators during the latest wave of marches across France got the real story straight from the source. While coverage keeps describing the unrest as student anger over education budgets and living costs, the man on the street made the actual objective unmistakable.
“I’m a socialist, I’m a communist, I’m an anticapitalist, revolutionary. You can pick the word that you like.”
He said the youth protests that began weeks ago are only the starting point. “It all started with the youth movement, with the youth revolt, but it concerns the entire society. Everybody’s going to fight, everybody needs to fight against the government, against Macron, and against capitalism.”
When asked why he was distributing anti-capitalist literature at a demonstration supposedly focused on schools, he answered without hesitation. “Because the youth, the people, are revolting not just because of one little issue, but because of the whole system. In the demonstration, people are singing, ‘siamo tutti antifascisti,’ they are standing for Palestine, they are going against war. It’s the whole system that is being contested… So the whole society needs to change.”
On the looting, property destruction, and clashes seen in prior weekends, he shifted every bit of blame. “The violence is the police. The police is violent, the government is violent… The police is causing that. The government is causing the violence, not the people, not the movement. It’s the government that needs to be less violent.”
Pressed on whether breaking into stores helps achieve the goal, he doubled down: “I’m standing with my declaration. It’s the police that is violent, and for the last ten years, Macron, the only answer of the movement is violence and violence and more violence.”
Asked about Marine Le Pen’s rising odds ahead of next year’s election, he replied, “No pasarán. They are not going to pass, France is not going to have a far-right government because people are revolting, and we are going to fight against Macron, but we are going to fight also against Marine Le Pen… we are not going to let the racists and the fascists into power.”- DTP