When the going gets tough! by Barbora Misakova

Being in France now is more than dangerous to life. All the romantic images which you see when someone says “Paris” are gone. No Eiffel Tower, no Seina, only anger, violence and streets full of people. While youths in masks are smashing storefronts in the France’s main city, hundreds of flights to and from the country are canceled every day and drivers are looking for gas. But “there are [still] people who want to work, the immense majority.” said President Nicolas Sarkozy. Thursday will be another “testing” day, as students plan a day of mobilization with a demonstration in Paris hours before the Senate is to vote on the retirement! measure. Even though France remembers a long tradition of street protests, the current one is particularly worrisome as it has touched the vital energy sector. While young French are scared of increase of retirement age (from 60 to 62), current pensioners are afraid that the pension system they were years working for, will go bankrupt. According to unions, the move would erode France’s near-sacred tradition of generous social benefits. As one of protesters said: “France wouldn’t be what it is today if the generations, that came before us hadn’t taken to the streets.” Except Paris, the most violent clashes occurred in Lyon. Increase of retirement age was Sarkozy’s priority reform, but its fulfillment will be the last nail in the Sarkozy’s political coffin. Polls show him as unpopular as ever – from 1000 surveyed people, 61 percent gave Sarkozy negative rating.

related story (sgx18432): http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101019/ap_on_bi_ge/eu_france_re...

by Barbora Misakova for Cantell TV (http://cantell.tv)

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