Could the riots in France ever happen here or is this just a feature of French society

[mids2019]

I am watching coverage of the protests in France including the shocking coverage of the burning of a town hall and wonder is this something that ever could happen in the UK or is protest at this scale somehow part of the French DNA given how the republic was born in revoution?

Personally I think immigration and it's consequences may be part of the unrest and I am questioning whether this mass uprisings is simply about school standards. We have a cost of living crisis in the UK but this form of protest does not happen so what is different?

There has been plenty of rioting in fhe UK in the recent past. Just perhaps different reasons behind it.

I definitely think it's a difference of culture. Not saying they have it right but I do think we in the UK can be somewhat apathetic when it comes to wrongdoings in government or policy, we are so used to being disappointed by politicians it's almost ingrained into our collective psyche at this point! The riots with the most damage to buildings and loss of life are more historical than contemporary though as we've seen in the news in recent years, it doesn't take much for a crowd to begin to get stoked up. Perhaps we're more of a "law abiding" nation too as we don't have that history of a redress of social classes and overthrow of the crown.

There is a long history of flagrant riots in France so like you I would surmise its more ingrained in society. I don't think the UK would be that far from those sorts though once the tinderbox goes up!

Agree. but at this scale?

There have been plenty of riots here. They start for different reasons, but looting also goes on here.

This is not French people rioting about schools or the cost of living.

You think they all simultaneously decided to go out the very same day and riot and target old buildings and municipal facilities all at the same time?

Most French people and most immigrants to France are horrified about this.

All of it.

The reasons for the riots in London years ago were scumbags wanting free sportswear and electrical goods. Their actions were excused by left wing commentators as some kind of cry for help from an alienated youth.

It absolutely could. The UK is about ready to explode. Not helped when we have thousands of loonies out marching and chanting about "globalising the intafada".

Well, look to France to see what that intafada looks like on European soil.

It's not just france it's also Italy and Portugal and Brussels...and other places.

It's a cost of living / high fuel / low wages / education thing just like we have here.

No where near on this scale.

We tend to push back through politics, sarcasm and protest rather than riots. It's partly a question of culture, but also weather. Not many people want riot in a storm.

You seem to have forgotten the London riots, poll tax riots and the miners strike.

The UK can do unrest too but not as well as the French and I wish the public here was less apathetic about the cost of living crisis.

Of course it can, and of course it did

Im not sure i understand. Do you mean it’s non-French nationals rioting in the main?

Parts of Northern Ireland riot most years just not about things that really matter to the majority of people.

Short answer is yes. They won't be exactly the same in character, ideology, stated aims or who starts it first but it's coming.

The French riots have spilled over in Belgium. Over fifty cities in Spain are protesting over the housing crisis. Cost of living demonstrations in Milan and Bologna. Albania is rioting and demanding the government resign.

It's already started in the UK. In pockets. It will spread. Unfortunately. I believe the government know that it's coming too. They keep telling us to prepare for some vague disaster or another after all.

These things have a social contagion element, in my opinion, even if the participants think they are fighting against the left or the right or just against the government in general.

Don’t you remember the looting in Southport just a couple of years ago?

It could happen because there are always people who would love the opportunity to join in with civil unrest and be destructive and violent for the sake of it.

There were similar riots in the UK (in Tottenham) because of police killing a man. So its possible, but for different reasons. There would be different types of people rioting. I also doubt it would go as far as people burning civil buildings, the riot police in UK is a thing.

I’ve been listening to podcasts forecasting this for a while now, as it’s linked to inflation. There’s an inflationary market that makes civil unrest more likely and I think we’re about there now.

it stands to reason that if you have no skin in the game when it comes to the future of the country you live in. ie unlikely to ever be able to afford housing and feeling like the likelihood of a decent job down the line is slipping away, and you are young and full of energy, you just might think burning the whole lot down was a way to make a point.

You are missing an important element for French people: solidarity. Having lived in Paris through previous strikes and riots, there is usually general support for protests, even if you are personally affected by them to a significant degree. When I was there pretty much everything was impossible - nothing open, universities shut, transport all striking (all modes, from what I can recall) and the most frustrating thing for me as a Brit was that ordinary French people I knew, who weren't actively involved, were very supportive of it all. I don't think that attitude would be the same in the UK, unaffected people would be up in arms if they couldn't go about their daily lives for any extended period of time.

I live in France & the vast majority of people I know are not supportive at all of the riots. They do feel that some, not all, students have a genuine grievance but are horrified by the vandalism.

Why are they destroying places that hold records and paperwork?

They went to the prefecture in Limoges after being successful in setting light to the Town Hall. Where all the paperwork relating to immigration in the whole of the Haute Vienne is held.

Why would French people want records obliterated?

Oh I’m sure that’s just another layer to this. If it’s not your history then it’s easy to burn it down, particularly because colonialism is a hot potato right now in the culture wars.

Is it?

I've never burnt anyone's history down.

French DNA

Snort. Haven't seen much of that present in the videos.

They do seem awfully focused on destroying a heritage that is not theirs and immigration records though.

Funny that.

Protests in Glasgow. From CBS News. Which is traditionally centre/centre left.

Run Time: 8mins 22secs.