The TV pictures of violent French protests against pension reform don't lie exactly - but they do distort the truth.
Most of the workers opposed to the reforms didn't throw rocks, block fuel depots or overturn vehicles. They marched peacefully, chanting the old slogans of the French Left - a movement which, with most of its members well into middle-age, has grown less radical and a lot more comfortable. In fact, the labor organizers of the Paris march on Tuesday were so anxious to avoid a confrontation that they made a deal with the authorities. At the first sign of violence, all the legitimate union members would disperse - leaving the police to arrest the troublemakers.
Of course, there have been pockets of violent protest - but the balaclava-wearing car-burners in the suburb of Nanterre aren't fighting pension reforms. Their anger has several strands: they don't like President Nicholas Sarkozy; they hate his government's center-right wing policies; and they're legitimately frustrated by high unemployment. Some are just bored.
For more: Violent French Protests Don't Tell Whole Truth - World Watch - CBS News
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