So... Them French Protests, eh?

[Buelligan]

you don't have any proof that it's a widespread problem though, you just have this man's words. you can't win an argument with generalizations like this (it's the equivalent of quoting a tweet). it's obvious that the GJ aren't manipulated by Bannon (or anyone for that matter), they have reasons to protest. you might not like their reasons, but they exist, and they're not particularly stupid.

I do like their reasons - I work, in France, for minimum wage (and have done, for more than a decade) and I'm not particularly stupid. 

I am aware that people, not just people in France, are being manipulated by people like Steve Bannon.  There has been some evidence to indicate that, stuff like the Cambridge Analytica stuff, that even people like me, living in the arsehole of nowhere, have heard about.  I think that's evidence that there is a widespread problem, don't you?

[Blumf]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-46530265

One person has been killed and six others wounded in a shooting in the eastern French city of Strasbourg, police say.

The gunman is still at large, they added.

Take your bets!

• Yellow Jacket
• Islamic Throwback (sooooo 2015)
• Shirtless Steve Bannon

[Paul Calf]

And Strasbourg is in lockdown with public demonstrations banned.

Hmm.

[Dex Sawash]

I have come to accept that Cologne is in Germany but I'm not okay with Strasbourg  being in France.

[Buelligan]

I have come to accept that Cologne is in Germany...

Oh, duh, Köln.




_soz.

[Blumf]

I'm still confused by Ashby-de-la-Zouch.

[Johnny Yesno]

Chester-le-Street does my nut right in.

[Paul Calf]

Theydon Bois? Theydon fuckin' Bois? Where d'you fink you are?

[Johnny Yesno]

Theydon do Bois there, do they?

[biggytitbo]

Could be bollocks, but of interest -

[Alberon]

Probably is.

I saw something about pro-brexit protestors blocking a bridge yesterday or the day before. I can't remember if it was in London but definitely somewhere in the UK. The relevance is they were all wearing yellow safety jackets.

[Paul Calf]

Westminster Bridge.

[Cuellar]

Could be bollocks, but of interest -

Well as long as they talk about the 'French' protests and not the 'Frenche' ones they should be fine.

And considering there's a picture of a yellow jacketed protester hurling a smoke grenade with the heading 'France's moment of anger' on the front page of the BBC News website, I think it's safe to say it's bollocks.

[Ferris]

Well as long as they talk about the 'French' protests and not the 'Frenche' ones they should be fine.

And considering there's a picture of a yellow jacketed protester hurling a smoke grenade with the heading 'France's moment of anger' on the front page of the BBC News website, I think it's safe to say it's bollocks.

My favourite bit is the "flowchart of evil"

[Paul Calf]

It's an piece of evidence that could quite easily be reproduced by writing some bollocks underneath a circular thumbnail of a lion, screen-grabbing it and posting it to imgur.

Where did it come from?

[Buelligan]

Well as long as they talk about the 'French' protests and not the 'Frenche' ones they should be fine.

Hehehe, yese.  Also, is the third paragraph written in English?  Maybe I've been away too long but I'm findinge it very hard to interpret into meaningful thoughts.

I saw something about pro-brexit protestors blocking a bridge yesterday or the day before. I can't remember if it was in London but definitely somewhere in the UK. The relevance is they were all wearing yellow safety jackets.

Did they have a little red and white stripey hut?

[oooft]

And considering there's a picture of a yellow jacketed protester hurling a smoke grenade with the heading 'France's moment of anger' on the front page of the BBC News website, I think it's safe to say it's bollocks.

That's an entire month now this has been going on and if I remember correctly it did take days before it was aired on BBC news. This is the earliest I could find in the BBC's website archive under "european news"

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-46265136   - 21st of November. Almost a week after they began. Too busy trying to convince us there should be a peoples vote for Brexit? Surely not.

[garnish]

Could be bollocks, but of interest -

Yes, it could be bollocks

[oooft]

Yes, it could be bollocks

Just like the Belgian riots that have been going on too? It must just be coincidence, that'll be it!

[Buelligan]

There clearly is coverage on the BBC, the only evidence being presented is a misspelt and unclear anonymous allegation that there will be no coverage, which is rather undermined by the coverage.

I wouldn't call it a coincidence, more a tiny nodule of foil-hatted shit-stirring that shouldn't fool the tiniest infant.  That's not to say that I rule out all possibilities of conspiracy in this matter, more that this "evidence" is evidence of sweet fuck all, as any fule can see.

[oooft]

Grammar Nazis - Dontcha just wanna givvem a hug?

[Paul Calf]

Grammar Nazis - Dontcha just wanna givvem a hug?

If the source is claiming to be a journalist, you'd expect a bit of proofreading, surely?

[Buelligan]

... or proof?

[Ant Farm Keyboard]

I know Strasbourg quite well as a city. I've lived there for a while, and I regularly come back there.
The Christmas market is very important for the place. If you know Strasbourg, the central part of the town is an "island", as the place was a former swamp that was dried, and the Ill river was doubled with a canal. As there's a lot of sand in the ground, that might be why for instance the cathedral has just one spire. So, when you want to access the central area, which hosts four or five locations for the Christmas market, you have to cross a bridge. Tramway trains will go through the "island" but won't stop there during the Christmas market days. Every bag is checked up by security when you try to enter (naturally by foot) the area.

It's highly likely that controls were lightened in the last few days before the attack, as local police also had to address yellow vest demonstrations and a few riots by high schoolers (they tend to do that every time there are major protests). There was no conspiracy by the current government to turn attention away from the protests, despite a few claims, just a combination of issues and opportunities (for some reason, Islamist fundamentalists are obsessed with the Strasbourg Christmas market, just as they were with the Bataclan).

[Buelligan]

Interesting to read this article on the BBC website this morning -

Further demonstrations were planned around the country - though the movement seemed to be losing impetus in the run-up to Christmas.

Police fired tear-gas in the northern resort of Le Touquet to keep a crowd away from a house there owned by Mr Macron and his wife, Brigitte.

France's interior ministry said only 3,680 yellow vests had been counted on Thursday on the many traffic filtering points that have been appearing throughout the country since the beginning of the protests, their lowest number so far.

The implication being that the protests are tailing off.  My understanding, from the gilet jaunes I know, is that they have decided to take a break for the Christmas period and plan to resume action in the New Year.  I'm surprised whoever reports on these things for the BBC isn't aware of that. 

I also know that the estimate of a 25% drop off in business is bollocks, at least in this area.  I went into the city last week, it was practically deserted, the week before Christmas.  The restaurant I work at (fairly renowned), has been virtually empty/empty on weekdays, weekends fuller but nothing like normal.  I'd say we're down to about 10% of normal custom for this time of year and have been for weeks.

[garnish]

Just like the Belgian riots that have been going on too? It must just be coincidence, that'll be it!

You need to lie down

[BlodwynPig]

Interesting to read this article on the BBC website this morning -

The implication being that the protests are tailing off.  My understanding, from the gilet jaunes I know, is that they have decided to take a break for the Christmas period and plan to resume action in the New Year.  I'm surprised whoever reports on these things for the BBC isn't aware of that. 

I also know that the estimate of a 25% drop off in business is bollocks, at least in this area.  I went into the city last week, it was practically deserted, the week before Christmas.  The restaurant I work at (fairly renowned), has been virtually empty/empty on weekdays, weekends fuller but nothing like normal.  I'd say we're down to about 10% of normal custom for this time of year and have been for weeks.

The BBC thought controllers -

Worry
Shop
Worry now
Anger now
Shop and spend
Worry
Vote
Laugh
Worry

[kngen]

Surprised people aren't taking that BBC thing seriously. If Noam Chomsky's Manufacturing Consent has taught us anything, it's that all news organisations are very explicit in the way they shape or control narratives, often with giant whiteboards and diagrams.

I've forgotten how many times I've accidentally stumbled into the 'How 2 Supres Nooz' room in the various papers I've worked for. Thankfully, all journalists have to sign an NDA and the Official Secrets Act before they're allowed to work anywhere so this sort of stuff rarely gets out.

[falafel]

Because the 'evidence' is a screenshot from an anonymous source, and is written with a special kind of borderline coherence that lends it next to no credence. News outlets may or may not toe the political line, but the citation above is an untethered, insubstantial wet fart. I could have written it. If I had, I'd have at least used the spellchecker.

[Blumf]

They're back at it:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-46771363

A French government spokesman was evacuated from his office as violence broke out during "yellow vests" protests in Paris and other cities.

Benjamin Griveaux said he and his team had had to escape through a back door after a construction vehicle was used to ram the building's entrance.