oh SNAP!
I don't know if the most recent cover of the Economist is the same in North America as it is here...but damn, France got served:
Apart from the hilarity of this image, the 14-page special report is pretty interesting and I highly recomment you go out and buy this issue. You wouldn't be able to tell just by walking around Paris, but ask most people here and they'll paint you a pretty bleak picture of the current situation in France.
One year ago this week, two kids died in the suburbs when they were hiding from police who were alledgedly chasing them. This event set off 21 days of violence, not only in the Parisian suburbs, but in other major cities across France. When things finally calmed down, the government announced a bunch of initiatives meant to pour money into after-school programs and community centres. One year later, not much has changed and mayors of these "problem" cities in the north of Paris are warning that it's a powder keg waiting to explode. Now that campaigning for the presidential elections is in full swing, it's unlikely that the current government will do anything constructive to address the roots of the problem.
A week ago, a family member of mine was attacked in the middle of the afternoon by a 14-year-old kid who was trying to steal her bag. She was in St-Ouen, which is directly on the other side of the highway that separates Paris and the suburbs (I go there all the time on weekends for the huge flea market). When she tried to call the police from her cell phone, they would not come help her because the most recent trend in these areas is youth calling with fake emergencies, and then gathering by the hundreds to ambush and attack the cops that come to respond to the call. Since I've been back in France, this has been a daily occurence.
Needless to say, the extreme right-wing party, le Front National, is having a field day. I don't think it's exaggeration to say that something's gonna give, soon...
Apart from the hilarity of this image, the 14-page special report is pretty interesting and I highly recomment you go out and buy this issue. You wouldn't be able to tell just by walking around Paris, but ask most people here and they'll paint you a pretty bleak picture of the current situation in France.
One year ago this week, two kids died in the suburbs when they were hiding from police who were alledgedly chasing them. This event set off 21 days of violence, not only in the Parisian suburbs, but in other major cities across France. When things finally calmed down, the government announced a bunch of initiatives meant to pour money into after-school programs and community centres. One year later, not much has changed and mayors of these "problem" cities in the north of Paris are warning that it's a powder keg waiting to explode. Now that campaigning for the presidential elections is in full swing, it's unlikely that the current government will do anything constructive to address the roots of the problem.
A week ago, a family member of mine was attacked in the middle of the afternoon by a 14-year-old kid who was trying to steal her bag. She was in St-Ouen, which is directly on the other side of the highway that separates Paris and the suburbs (I go there all the time on weekends for the huge flea market). When she tried to call the police from her cell phone, they would not come help her because the most recent trend in these areas is youth calling with fake emergencies, and then gathering by the hundreds to ambush and attack the cops that come to respond to the call. Since I've been back in France, this has been a daily occurence.
Needless to say, the extreme right-wing party, le Front National, is having a field day. I don't think it's exaggeration to say that something's gonna give, soon...
posted by Anne at 7:55 AM
1 Comments:
hehe, that's quite the cover, actually the one here is of an american soldier running and the headline is run or stay or something like that. that euro version is quite risqué hehe
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