Yes.
The French protests have escalated. Protesters against Macron torch the entrance to the Bordeaux city hall. pic.twitter.com/Qyi3Wx4C08
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) March 23, 2023
JUST IN: Stunning video emerges of what appears to be FIREFIGHTERS JOINING THE PROTESTS in Paris — The large group of protesters are purportedly headed to the center of the city..
— Chuck Callesto (@ChuckCallesto) March 23, 2023
The French: "This is fine." pic.twitter.com/tIKV9h3s11
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) March 23, 2023
On the one hand, Macron is operating by decree, which should never be allowed. On the other hand, what he’s doing is actually necessary… he’s raising the retirement age from 62 to 64. And even 64 seems kinda ridiculously low. France, like everywhere else in the West, has a birth rate that is less than replacement (1.83, better than pretty much everywhere else in Europe); their population numbers seem to be buttressed by importing Algerians, Moroccans and other North Africans. The result of that is relatively few young people for lots of old people, especially going forward. Keeping the retirement – and thus pension payout – age low is going to be economically infeasible. So the French people are rightly pissed at a tyrannical government… that’s using tyranny to do what needs to happen. So… France seems kinda screwed.