France
November 26, 2023 — John Hinderaker
I have been in Paris for the last week, my first visit to this city. This is a fun time of the year to be in Europe, as the Europeans generally make a bigger deal out of Christmas than we do. Before we left, friends warned us against two things: pro-genocide demonstrators, and bedbugs. So far we have seen the same number of each: zero. Yesterday we visited one of
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November 5, 2023 — John Hinderaker
Yesterday, many thousands of Islamofascists and leftists turned out across the globe for pro-Hamas demonstrations, celebrating the massacre of October 7 and demanding the extermination of Jews. Trafalgar Square was packed to overflowing: Hundreds of thousands turned out in Paris: Some might find the idea of a “kill the Jews” rally in Berlin alarming: And, of course, many thousands rallied to support genocide against the Jews in Washington, D.C. It
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October 13, 2023 — John Hinderaker
What with today being proclaimed an “International Day of Jihad,” and in view of events elsewhere, France has banned all pro-Palestinian protests in order to avert violence. They don’t have our First Amendment, and we couldn’t really do this. Still, some will find it heartwarming: France has banned all pro-Palestine protests. This group is now being run out by the Paris police. pic.twitter.com/s78zsqzIog — 🇺🇸ProudArmyBrat (@leslibless) October 12, 2023
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September 16, 2023 — John Hinderaker
The case of Juliette de Causans is causing quite a stir in Europe. Ms. de Causans is running for the French Senate as a candidate of the Europe Ecologie Egalite party. She put up campaign posters with a photo of her that…isn’t her: The Telegraph reports: A French politician has been criticised for “misleading” voters by using digital enhancements to give her a youthful glow in campaign posters. Juliette de
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July 5, 2023 — Scott Johnson
Last week I quoted from Christopher Caldwell’s Reflections on the Revolution in Europe and its discussion of the 2005 riots to provide what I thought was useful background on the current riots. Caldwell also has an excellent essay on the current state of French politics in the current issue of the Claremont Review of Books. I would guess this must have been written three or more months ago, but it
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July 2, 2023 — John Hinderaker
Scott wrote here about the riots that have paralyzed France for five days. Reuters reports that thousands of rioters have been arrested, rioters have burned 2,000 vehicles, 200 police officers have been injured, and more than 700 businesses have been looted, ransacked or burned to the ground. All of this was triggered by the death of a 17-year-old named Nahel Merzouk who was shot by a police officer following a
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July 2, 2023 — Scott Johnson
Riots have convulsed France over the past five nights. The New York Times reports, for example, in a story published in the past two hours “France Arrests Hundreds More in Fifth Night of Unrest.” President Macron scrapped an official trip to Germany in light of the riots, though not before he made it to the Elton John concert in Paris. The occasion this time around is the fatal shooting of
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April 10, 2023 — Elizabeth Stauffer
Following six hours of talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, French President Emmanuel Macron spoke to a Politico reporter and two French journalists aboard COTAM Unité, France’s Air Force One this weekend. He discussed his concept of “strategic autonomy for Europe, presumably led by France, to become a third superpower.” Specifically, Macron said Europe’s “greatest risk” is getting “caught up in crises that are not ours,” such as a potential conflict
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March 23, 2023 — John Hinderaker
If you haven’t been following the news from France, that country is being roiled by President Macron’s attempt to reform the pension system. The current age of eligibility for government pensions is 62, the lowest in Europe, and Macron wants to raise it to 64. This London Times article is as good a place as any to catch up with what is happening: An increasingly violent and radical protest movement
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January 2, 2023 — John Hinderaker
A controversy has erupted in France over the renovation of a statue of novelist Victor Hugo that portrays him as a black man. The New York Times, always quick to jump on any racial angle, is on the case. And Steve Sailer has an excellent post that pulls it all together. First, the controversy, as described by the Times: The statue of Victor Hugo has loomed outside the city hall
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August 9, 2022 — John Hinderaker
This is from today’s Telegraph: In the end, it could be even worse than had been feared. Today saw the release of a new forecast for the energy price cap – and it does not make for comfortable reading. Experts predict that the figure will hit more than £4,200 in January [$5,082 for a single month]. In a new dire outlook for households, Cornwall Insight said bills are set to
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April 25, 2022 — Scott Johnson
Chief Biden White House daycare minder Ron Klain tactfully observes — “just FYI” — that President Macron’s win over Marine LePen in France’s presidential election yesterday came with Macron’s bargain basement approval rating. He leaves us to make of it what we will. Just fyi, President Biden’s bargain basement approval rating — 40 percent in the Morning Consult poll (of adults) to which Klain links, 33 percent in the Quinnipiac
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April 23, 2022 — Steven Hayward
When the sun comes up in France a few hours from now, the polls will open for the runoff election between President Emanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen. All of the pre-election surveys show Macron with a comfortable 10-point lead over Le Pen, but if the election comes out this way it will be a major narrowing from the last election in 2017, which Macron won over Le Pen by
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April 8, 2022 — Steven Hayward
I’ve finally figured out why Democrats are so monomaniacal about imposing ever stricter federal price controls on prescription drugs. It’s because they are freebasing Xanax these days in large quantities to treat their high anxiety over their steadily eroding political prospects. (Also, it helps explain President Biden. One of the side effects of Xanax is “dysarthria”—slurred or slow speech. And now you know.) Following the victory of the wrong person
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January 24, 2022 — Paul Mirengoff
As a Russian invasion of Ukraine becomes more and more likely, major European nations behave more and more in character. Britain, in its finest Churchill-Thatcher tradition, is stepping up to the plate. It just delivered anti-tank weapons to Ukraine. Germany, reverting to its traditional approach of accommodating Russian aggression to further its interests, reportedly refused Britain permission to transport the anti-tank weapons through German airspace. Germany denies doing so, but
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January 18, 2022 — Paul Mirengoff
Eric Zemmour, the right-wing pundit, author, and candidate for president of France, has been found guilty of inciting racial hatred. He was fined $11,400 for the offense and faces imprisonment if doesn’t pay. According to the Washington Post, during a 2020 debate Zemmour described unaccompanied child migrants to France as “thieves,” “killers,” and “rapists.” Apparently, he forgot, or saw no need, to drop the Donald Trump footnote that “some, I
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January 3, 2022 — Steven Hayward
To say “opinion is divided about Eric Zemmour,” the right-wing candidate for president of France, is an understatement, and we have heard from a number of sensible observers of French politics that Zemmour might not be the best idea. Certainly the mainstream media is as panicked about him as they are about Trump. Some conservative critics say he a lightweight, a poser, the equivalent of Bill O’Reilly, and running chiefly to
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