Mass protests rock enraged Europe: millions on strike, hundreds of thousands take to the streets

The Europeans have usually been less shy than their American cousins when it comes to pulling out the stops and having old-fashioned,hurl-the-flagstones riots. Looks like Europe is really tying one off now, with protests roiling across the seething continent.

The European response to a world in turmoil may be somewhat different than that in America, Asia, or elsewhere, but the underlying causes are perhaps similar across the developed world and elsewhere: soaring unemployment and equality; populaces groaning under taxes being asked to shoulder more for bailots, "recovery plans," and rapidly aging societies; fears about the future, job security, and reitrement; the decay of the traditional European welfare state under the weight of debt and shady finance; the hollowing-out of manufacturing and, indeed, other industries. Toss in a piquant dash of tension over immigration, fears of a one-world government, and bruised nationalisms of various sorts and you have a potent cocktail indeed.

Some links:
Fury sweeps Europe
Spain has first general strike in decade as Europe marches
Ten million on strike
100,000 protesters descend on Brussels

reply to post by silent thunder


No one cares about such news, 100000 people is a lot of people, if this was in Iran, it would take another year for it to vanish from the news, but since it is in Europe, it will take 1-2 weeks max

If this had happened in the states they would have been decried as racists and potential terrorists.

Unfortunately, In the US people are too addled by drugs, fluoride toxic food and mindless television to get enraged about much of anything.

The protesters in Europe....good for them.

our TPTB have done a good job of isolating all possible groups from unting under common causes

I wish we could have a national strike,go EU!

Spain, Belgium, Greece, Ireland...

How is it that so many people from completely different countries can all feel so similar about the world's problems and take action that expresses it, while Americans, who have been hit so hard on so many fronts recently, still remain placid and docile for the most part?

reply to post by badgerprints


I don't know where you came up with this logic. People of all political persuasions should be enraged.

I think it's the fear of FEMA camps that keeps people pacified. It's going to take a lot to stoke a fire and many people are just not interested in marching.

reply to post by silent thunder


I think the People of Europe are Finally realizing that the Homogenation of their Sovereign States was a Big Mistake . You Reap what you Sow , and we are seeing the results right now .




Long Live Nationalism !

Just to add to this thread by saying that there's been some intense protesting in Stuttgart, Germany over an extremely lavish new Trainstation the city wants to build. I see it on the news a lot and I completely support the protesters.

Get this: They are using 4.1 billion Euroes of taxpayer money to build this new modernized trainstation. They are bulldozing old buildings and are chopping down trees in a park. It's outrageous.

Sure, the proposed trainstation looks really awesome, but it's a waste of money. There's no need to do this!

A link: Reuters

While here in the states, we have nothing to be angry about.....

YEAH RIGHT!!!




www.businessweek.com...

Originally posted by The Sword
reply to post by badgerprints

 

I don't know where you came up with this logic. People of all political persuasions should be enraged.

I think it's the fear of FEMA camps that keeps people pacified. It's going to take a lot to stoke a fire and many people are just not interested in marching.

I don't know where you came up with a political bent to my post aside from distrust in the methods used by our political machine.

As far as fema camps go... what logic are you using?

It's not fear that keeps people from protesting. It's complacency.

Until Americans can't afford a loaf of bread or toilet paper they won't do a thing.

Originally posted by badgerprints

Originally posted by The Sword
reply to post by badgerprints

 

I don't know where you came up with this logic. People of all political persuasions should be enraged.

I think it's the fear of FEMA camps that keeps people pacified. It's going to take a lot to stoke a fire and many people are just not interested in marching.

I don't know where you came up with a political bent to my post aside from distrust in the methods used by our political machine.

As far as fema camps go... what logic are you using?

It's not fear that keeps people from protesting. It's complacency.

Until Americans can't afford a loaf of bread or toilet paper they won't do a thing.

What!!! No toilet paper???? Oh wait, your saying it's a possibility, damn for a minute there....

reply to post by Tarrok


This story sounds simular to Hitlers Insistance of Building the Autobahn back in the 1930's at Enormus Costs to the Germany Economy . Many German Families were displaced to make way for it . The Irony of that Act was it eventually became the Roadway to Victory for the Allies in 1945 .

These are all leftists doing this.

It kinda makes you wonder...while the left in America are 'complacent', the left in Europe, who are widely considered even more left than here in the US, are waging massive protests across the continent. The right-wing Tea Party is all we have to show for 'protest'?

Possibly it's the political leanings of our leaders who cause this...in America, the center-left president takes office and the right is in an uproar.

In Europe, the center-right leaders cause uproar with their left leaning citizens. Perhaps it's just a pendulum.

reply to post by badgerprints


Well, Americans would protest more if they knew they wouldn't be randomly arrested, beaten or pepper sprayed just for being in the vicinity of a protest.
If the European cops acted like ours it would be much smaller protests.
Go get em Europeans!
General strike in Spain? Awesome!!
Why the hell can't Americans strike anymore?

well, the people in Europe care...

because of the strikes and protest, there was no public transportation possible in big parts of the countries, with a few exceptions. And because of that, a lot of kids couldn't attend school, people couldn't reach work, those who did had to take the day off because their kids had to stay home unexpected...
It had it's concequences and they where noticed. It was noticed and that's the most important thing.
I'm sure we'll be seeing more of these in the near future.

Originally posted by dragonsmusic
Spain, Belgium, Greece, Ireland...

How is it that so many people from completely different countries can all feel so similar about the world's problems and take action that expresses it, while Americans, who have been hit so hard on so many fronts recently, still remain placid and docile for the most part?

I'm from Britain, part of Europe and not striking here (yet). We seem to be more apathetic in this country and more accepting of the austerity measures. The right wing press in this country does a good job of softening up the general public by blaming all of the problems on the previous government. taking the heat off the bankers and giving the new government full suport by demonising any group that strikes.

Originally posted by Asktheanimals
reply to post by badgerprints

 

Well, Americans would protest more if they knew they wouldn't be randomly arrested, beaten or pepper sprayed just for being in the vicinity of a protest.
If the European cops acted like ours it would be much smaller protests.
Go get em Europeans!
General strike in Spain? Awesome!!

Why the hell can't Americans strike anymore?

If Americans striked wouldn't they all be accused of being work shy communists. It is normally the workers unions who organise these strikes. Glenn Beck would have a field day if he thought Unions in America could bring the country to a stand still

reply to post by woodwardjnr


That is absolutely correct, if you're a worker and you strike here in America you're just a damned communist according to anyone NOT in a union.

Europe is heavily dependant on public transportation, only a handful of cities would feel the impact if all public transportation in America stopped. Destroy the unions and keep the workers down, that way they can't strike and the capitalists can still make money.

When strikes occur in America they only seem to reflect poorly on the worker. "They're just too lazy!", "They think they deserve more for doing the same job!"

There are a LOT of people in America who would be happy to do away with the welfare benefits the states and country provide the citizens. In Europe such ideas cause riots.

The United States is the only industrialized nation that doesn't mandate paid vacation time for workers.

The United States is the only industrialized nation that makes people pay for health care.

Why is it Europeans are willing to fight for benefits but Americans seem only willing to fight to take them away?

Massive? Erm..no not really. Millions on strike? Erm...no.

Strikes and protests are common here. This isn't unusual, people. Europeans have never been afraid of industrial action.

Overblown, sorry.

However the potential for continent wide massive, coordinated action is definitely there.

The main reason people here (UK) dont bother taking action is because it is unlikely to work, and people just end up further out of pocket due to not being paid for the days they strike, especially as things are very tight for us now.

Remember the Iraq war? 1 million protestors, and they were completely ignored. The government will ignore us completely no matter what we do. There is only one way to get the government to change their mind, and that is to overthrow them (including the unelected lords) and replace them with competent people who actually care about the human race.

Shame nobody is up for it.