This month has seen reports of incendiary protests and social unrest in nations across the world. The importance of freedom of assembly and speech is no less important now than it has always been, but the recent examples we have seen around the world highlight the different attitudes that states have to these freedoms, and how effective it is across the world.
Some of the most notable protests we have seen in recent weeks has been in France, where social unrest has been boiling over into riots and disorder as demonstrations and strikes against President Macron’s pension reforms continue. Macron is attempting to increase the pension age in France from 62 to 64, following numerous attempts at reform by his predecessors. France’s pension age is much lower than other comparable European nations, but is something the French people have been loathe to give up.
These protests have been ongoing since January in opposition to this measure, but the intensity of demonstrations has reached a new height this month after Macron forced his legislation through Parliament without a vote. Strikes have been non-stop, and has led to the streets of Paris and other French cities piling up with trash following a strike by refuse collectors. These piles of rubbish have been set on fire by the protestors, creating a truly dystopian scene on French streets.
The unrest shows no sign of subsiding, but Macron is determined not to back down. This legislation has been opposed by both the left and right wings of French politics. National Rally, the far-right party led by Marine Le Pen and the biggest political thorn in Macron’s side, have been gaining popularity as unrest continues. The left wing, a huge force in French politics, has been united in its opposition to the pension reforms, with unions and politicians promising more strikes and protests if Macron persists with this course.
Whether these politicians are genuinely opposed to Macron’s reforms, or are using the wave they have created to wash him out of office, is unknowable. Successive French leaders have tried and tried again to bring France’s pension system into line with wider Europe, but none have taken such drastic and decisive action as Macron. I expect this saga will be his undoing, but wether or not the French left can unite firmly enough to stand up against Le Pen and her party remains to be seen.
On the other side of the Mediterranean, protests against proposed judicial reforms in Israel have been continuing for the past twelve weeks. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is attempting to reduce the Israeli Supreme Court’s power and scope, giving greater oversight and exclusive appointment rights to the government. These proposed reforms are part of a greater trend sharply rightwards in Israeli politics following the coalition between Netanyahu’s ruling Likud party and far-right Orthodox parties, including that of Itamar Ben-Gvir, a leader in the Israeli far-right movement.
Ben-Gvir is now the Minister of National Security, and like many other hard-line Zionist politicians that now hold government positions, is a settler in the occupied West Bank. The dramatic swing rightwards in Israel, and the state-sanctioned settling in Palestinian territory is not conducive to a two-state solution, the only way to solve the Israel-Palestine crisis.
Ministers such as Bezalel Smotrich, leader of the Religious Zionist party and now Minister of Finance, has denied the existence of a Palestinian people and supports expanding settlements in the West Bank. Ben-Gvir has faced charges of hate speech and promoting anti-Arab terrorism. Part of the judicial reforms will create a new national guard under Ben-Gvir’s direct command.
It is this government that seeks control and influence over the courts to further their incendiary policies, but the Israeli people have taken to the streets in protest and have put on some of the largest public demonstrations Israel has ever seen. A general strike has also been called, with Israeli unions showing solidarity with the demonstrators. These protests have only intensified since Netanyahu fired his Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for publicly criticising the reforms. The government seems to be taking notice, and have announced a postponement of the reforms until after Knesset recess was over in a month’s time.
The social unrest in both France and Israel are emblematic of the outstandingly febrile geopolitical environment we find ourselves living in; symptomatic of a dire macroeconomic situation on the other side of a pandemic, against a backdrop of strained relationships, heightened global security concerns and of course, war in Europe.
The differences between these two situations are clear however; in France, the people rage against a government hell-bent on forcing through what they see as essential pension reform, but despite the destructive and relentless nature of the protests, shows no sign of hesitation.
In Israel, the government seeks to gain more control over the legal system in a transparent grab for power, and the people have rightly voiced their displeasure. Some have observed the Israeli protests have been less destructive than those in France, but despite this, the Israeli people have managed to force the government to capitulate. Whilst their ultimate goal is to stop the reforms, delaying them temporarily is better than no movement at all.
Compare these protests to the most recent protests in Hong Kong, a city once infamous for its large-scale demonstrations against CCP rule, and the divisions between democracy and autocracy is once again highlighted. In the first authorised protest in three years, eighty demonstrators took gingerly to the streets to protest against a polluting infrastructure project in a district of the city. A mere shadow of the gargantuan pro-democracy protests of a few years ago, when hundreds of thousands of Hong Kongers marched against the authoritarian Beijing government. The CCP has tightened its grip around Hong Kong in recent years, and with Xi Jinping increasing his personal power in China with each passed law, it is unlikely to know freedom for a long time.
stay safe
/e