“Off with their heads” and “man the barricades” the cries of the famed “sans culottes” rang out and sent shivers down the spines of the doomed Bourbon dynasty way back then. These poor yet determined revolutionary men fighting for a semblance of social justice and disparagingly referred to as “without knee breaches” by the ruling royals and aristocracy seem to reverberate in today’s urban European settings.
220 years after the French revolution, scenes somewhat reminiscent of the almost long forgotten revolts, are again visible on the streets of Paris. They appear to be pre revolutionary in their scope and political impact. The fall out from all this maybe like a horror film come true for those at the top.Unions of all sorts have mobilised in protest of what is perceived as anti social government policy of President Nicolas Sarkozy, or a final assault on what remains of the welfare state, decimated by decades of rampant and reckless ultra liberalism which has since run amok.
This has paralyzed the country by widespread strike action. From rail to air, transport has been virtually halted. Public employees and their union members fearing for the security of their jobs and anticipated state imposed reforms in the public sector have made many in French angst ridden.
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