They do things differently in France

Watch the video.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-elderly-protester-scrapping-steam-train.html

Can anyone work out what these people are protesting for or against?

 

A Google search on 030T8158 finds this ....

Click

You'll need Google translator or similar. No mention of closure though.

 

In a nutshell, they are protesting about plans which will see their communities (the "2C2A") incorporated into the nearby town of Alés. (Non a l'adhesion au Grand Alés, oui a la 2C2A. La 2C2A vivra.)

I don't think the Daily Mail have it right about it being the closure of the steam train, they just chose a symbolic peaceful blocking of the steam train line (planned as 5-10 minutes) as the focal point of their demonstration.

It's fairly big news in France now as a story about gratuitous police violence.

Local comment on it here: http://www.midilibre.com/articles/2...en-cloture-de-la-manifestation-p-1517597.php5

 

I thought the reputation of the french police was exaggerated... not now!

 

There's a YouTube video of it all going off, here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ei7G6soM7eI

 

Jesus! They were just standing there chatting to the police, smiles on both sides and suddenly that Nazi starts randomly spraying tear gas into them! He need locking up in a nut house if you ask me, not fit to be allowed out in public, let alone be a copper!

 

You're right, a lot of the French are saying the same. Nazi and Gestapo are words being used a lot.

Clearly, the instruction "ok, get them off the tracks now, let's get the train away" meant (to at least that gendarme) "ok you can weigh in now lads"!

You wonder why tear-gas would be even on hand at a small peaceful protest like that though, let alone be authorised for use seemingly at whim.

 

Sadly police misbehaviour doesn't just happen in France - look at 'kettling' tactics in London aimed at discouraging demonstrations.

 

No, but what about the guy who was battered a while back and then died soon afterwards? He was just passing by.

Ian Tomlinson, a newspaper vendor in the City of London, died within a police cordon of the G-20 Meltdown protest near the Bank of England. Initially the City of London Police denied that any incident with the police had occurred, and the death was attributed to natural causes. Days later, The Guardian published video showing Tomlinson had been pushed by a Metropolitan Police Service officer and hit with a baton minutes before he collapsed and died

 

I really don't think they're comparable. As Ralph says, this was a load of mostly old folks having a laugh to draw attention to a purely local issue. It wasn't the G20 or even a national demonstration. Think of it more as that number of local people turning up at Horsted Keynes and standing on the track to demonstrate against a new housing development imposed by Sussex County Council.