this post was submitted on 07 Jan 2026
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Just for your sake: the current administration in France considers you can't complain if you lose a hand or an eye or end up in a coma if you're present in a non-authorized protest, even if you're not remotely violent. The protest ban can be a piece of paper displayed on a door in front of an admin building AFTER the protest started.
And still, there are protests, and protesters still defy bans.
So yes, for sure, US police kills way more people than the French one. But protesting in France is not as safe as you may think.
True, but beyond a certain scale, it doesn't matter. You can't just make a few phone calls and organize a general strike. And US can totally manage its scale by the way: you had simultaneous protests in many large cities.
The main difference is probably the organization body: France has country wide unions. Unions are not based on work sector, they are representing more political positioning. So if the "base" is willing, union leaders can propose strikes, and if it's a national political matter, it can become a general strike.
But just like you had massive protests, you can have general strikes.
"Europeans" are not a single homogenous body, and "have it better" does not mean much. Since you were talking about France: 10% of the population depends on food banks. 30% cannot afford 3 meals a day. 40% struggles with their bills. I don't know the numbers in the US, but they would vary state by state and then city by city and by ethnicity, etc. … just like they do in France. So some Europeans have it better than some US folks… and vice-versa. What matters at the end is who can do what and do these people have the will to act?
I'm pretty sure I read very similar comments about Americans believing strongly in their exceptionalism… Again: no country has that level of homogeneous thinking…
You stand exactly 0 chance to win a civil war if you're in the rebel side anyway. Gereral strikes is what make governments fall outside of elections. And it's very painful for all. The question is: more painful than what's to come?