Paris, more than 1 million people poured into the streets across France and strikers disrupted air, rail and bus travel today. They even shut down le tour Eiffel! Scattered violence erupted throughout Paris, and riot police used water cannons and tear gas to disperse the thousands of youth after an otherwise peaceful demonstration to protest the controversial new employment contracts for the youth. More than 240 people were arrested.
I don't understand. A peaceful march by the yoots and then arrests. The student unions say that the law treats the young as a "disposable" commodity. Unions complain that it drives a wedge into decades of accumulated legal protections of employment. The law has also become a symbol of what many on the French left see -or like to see- as wicked, anti-social, "ultra-capitalist" influences from the US & Britain. Why can't we all just get along??
You know it's difficult to understand how the possibility of peace could ever begin to enter into our world with such contension existing amongst EVERYONE. It makes me nervous because I love France. I speak French and have visited several times. It saddens my heart to think they hate us and we hate them and frankly everyone hates us!
I can't wait to travel back there and I suppose this blog is just a plea for prayers of peace. Here's mine...ok, I stold it from 6th century, Chinese philosopher Lao-tse:
If there is to be peace in the world,
There must be peace in the nations.
If there is to be peace in the nations,
There must be peace in the cities.
If there is to be peace in the cities,
There must be peace between neighbors.
If there is to be peace between neighbors,
There must be peace in the home.
If there is to be peace in the home,
There must be peace in the heart.
