Kneeling Detainees Were French Children : New Yellow Vests Symbolism

RT link

A yellow vest has firmly become a symbol of protest in France. Yet this Saturday demonstrators added something new – they kneeled in front of police, denouncing the humiliating arrests of high school students caught on video.

The town of Mantes-la-Jolie, west of Paris, has found itself at the center of a scandal after a controversial video showed police detentions of students from a local high school. The protesters were clashing with police and officers resorted to quite disputable measures during the arrests – they forced the detainees to kneel.

People in yellow vests in Paris, Marseille and even Brussels are kneeling before officers, riot police and armored vehicles, amid tear gas.

That’s how they express solidarity with these 150 teens with backpacks from Mantes-la-Jolie who were arrested.

See pics in link plus this video

This fact may have been left unknown but for a camera which captured the teens,

who were protesting the education reform,

kneeling in mud with heads bowed and hands behind their heads. Some of them were lined up facing a wall.

Police officers in full riot gear walked with batons among the students. The footage stirred public anger,

people compared it to an execution by firing squad and branded it as intolerable. The situation found a receptive audience among Yellow Vest protests that are sweeping France and neighboring Belgium on Saturday.

There is a similar very short video posted by The Express yesterday which shows teenagers amongst detainees held in this fashion reasonably clearly .

This mass protest now happening across the whole of France and similar protests featuring the 'kneelers' are spreading in Belgium and Holland .

Besides the fact they're protesting Macron's government policies , is this action (forcing to kneel with hands behind head against a wall , taken against children) , ever acceptable ? It should be obvious that nerves were touched in France over this , and that it is clearly to be remembered in the minds of the whole gillet-jaune movement , even if not widely known as yet .

In case you missed the livestreams from yesterday , here's French raw video showing to some extent the numbers involved , the spirit of the group , the amount of gas being used (a lot) the tactics the police are using (ie rooftops armour , kettling etc ) and the effect of strengthened gases on some of the weaker protesters . It's only in the last week that gas and rubber bullets have been used apparently ,although this has brewed on for 4 weeks so far . It looks as if they will not stop until Macron is gone , going beyond whatever reasons for the situation are postulated , including fuel tax hikes .

a reply to: DoctorBluechip

not sure I saw one yellow vest in that vid, pshhh i just get naked.

a reply to: MarlbBlack

Copy . Pics in link .

The other video :

Definitely schoolkids

I blame Colin Kaepernick.

a reply to: DoctorBluechip

They were forced to kneel?

Wow, was that it?

So what? Were they beaten were they humiliated, tortured or in some way brutalised?

I have absolutely nothing against these yellow vests protesting - I think we should all get up off our arses and protest against the scumbags who we allow to govern us, but that's another issue - but what really is wrong with this?

Snowflakes - I despair.

a reply to: Freeborn

2 questions...

Do you have children ?
Would you want them treated this way for " getting off their asses and protesting against the scumbags " ?

a reply to: DoctorBluechip

still did not see a yellow vest, maybe I'm looking too hard? If you are going to be called yellow vests at least wear them.. I'm still going to get nekked..

a reply to: DAVID64

Do you have children ?

Yes, and a Grandchild.

Would you want them treated this way for " getting off their asses and protesting against the scumbags " ?

I would be proud that they'd had the moral conviction to protest against something.
If they were beaten for it I'd be more than 'protesting'.

I couldn't give a toss if they were made to kneel.

What on earth is wrong with that?

Snowflakes - I despair!

a reply to: Freeborn
Yeah I thought the same, kneeling on the floor OMFG such brutality lol.
I've been batoned in protests in London over the years, kneeling is easy street.

a reply to: CornishCeltGuy

Truly boggling.

I've been beaten black and blue.
I've witnessed people being nearly beaten to death.

We see video's of water canons being used against rioters and protesters.
Tear gas is frequently used.
In some countries they'd be beaten, locked up and possibly even shot!

Being told to kneel with your hands above your head?
Gosh, how brutal!
Those bastard police pigs!

People need a bit of perspective.

Mind you, no-one has actually tried to explain what exactly is so wrong with being told to kneel.

Snowflakes - I despair!

a reply to: Freeborn
I wouldn't have kneeled just to rebel, I would have sat cross legged and call their bluff if I was going to be beaten into kneeling.
I've always had authority issues though, I won't kneel for any prick, I'll take the beating.

At school I refused the cane on my ass and took it on the hand,even the face a couple of times because I made the teacher so angry. No way have I ever or will ever bend over for anyone.
Snowflakes indeed.

a reply to: CornishCeltGuy

Me too mate, I've always had authority issues.
Got lots of stories going back to my schooldays.
Best told over a pint or two.

Just think people need a bit of perspective.

Considering what goes on in the world this really is a non-issue.

a reply to: Freeborn
Yes you'd almost forget that Saudi forces are killing people in Yemen with British arms.
Forced to kneel give me a #in break lol

Ok , some clarification perhaps , since they're not wearing yellow vests ,

it looks like the police came to the school after the protest and set the kids out in this manner so they could threaten them with charges . We've seen people executed in Serbia in the same position , lined up etc .

LOL @ you 2 ex hardcore protesters turned state apologists for the French !

a reply to: Freeborn

I think you still need to learn in life that who you don't annoy are women .

a reply to: DoctorBluechip

Lol at you crying that some protesters were forced to kneel.
And yep I am a time served protester I've taken the baton off cops many times in my life.
Forced to kneel meh you bunch of snowflakes, I wouldn't have kneeled for them I'd have sat on my arse.

originally posted by: DoctorBluechip
Ok , some clarification perhaps , since they're not wearing yellow vests ,

it looks like the police came to the school after the protest and set the kids out in this manner so they could threaten them with charges . We've seen people executed in Serbia in the same position , lined up etc .

LOL @ you 2 ex hardcore protesters turned state apologists for the French !

Well pal let me set something straight for you as I LIVE here in France.

Those kids that you see were held like that after smashing up their school and piling up a load of rubbish bins at the main entrance before setting fire to them destroying the main entrance and hall.

Couple of cars were also overturned by the little darlings and set on fire...

Police and firemen were bricked by the little bastards but you won’t hear that on MSM...

The police were pretty fair to them compared to what would have happened 20 years ago...

Ah so now some reality emerges got a link to that lags?

a reply to: Lagomorphe

here's something to give visual input to what you just said because people here like to blindly think these "protesters" are so innocent.













They behave like some hoodlum rats. There are better and more civil ways to protest, and this isn't one of them.

a reply to: CornishCeltGuy

Never was a protester just a historian with a taste for truth .

So this user is not crying about it don't be ridiculous . It's asking RT about biased reporting now being seen above