Victoria Fox's Blog, page 260
March 24, 2023
The unexpected return of a valuable briefcase restored Sri’s faith in humanity
Enlarge this image Sri Pisharody and her mother at a train station in India. Sri Pisharody
Sri Pisharody
This story is part of the My Unsung Hero series, from the Hidden Brain team, about people whose kindness left a lasting impression on someone else.
After her father died, Sri Pisharody’s mother moved to the U.S. to be near her family. But a few things needed to be finalized back home. So Pisharody, her young daughter, and her mother flew to India together. During the long flight, Pisharody laid out some ground rules for her daughter.
“In India, it’s crowded. You have to stick with me and never trust the police officers or the auto rickshaw drivers because everybody wants a bribe and they’ll try to cheat you,” Pisharody recalled telling her daughter.
Pisharody had packed all of their passports, documents and other valuable items in a small briefcase. Upon landing, they hailed a rickshaw to the train station. When the driver dropped them off, Pisharody paid him, and then she turned around to make sure her daughter and mother were close by.
“Before I knew it, the auto rickshaw driver drove away with our briefcase that had my passport, our documents, our cash, everything in it,” Pisharody said. “My heart sank. I started quivering. I didn’t know what to do.”
Enlarge this image Sri Pisharody (middle) with her mother (right) and daughter (left) on their trip to India. Sri Pisharody
Sri Pisharody
Her mother, who was 70 at the time, quickly sprang into action and headed to the police station, leaving Pisharody and her daughter at the train station. While standing on the front steps, a group of auto rickshaw drivers approached them and asked what was wrong. Pisharody explained the problem.
“And I was just so surprised because immediately, the auto rickshaw drivers banned together and they began searching the entire train station, going around the town and the marketplace … trying to locate this auto rickshaw driver,” Pisharody said.
As the drivers searched the town, Pisharody’s mother returned with an entourage of police officers. They put on their sirens and joined in the search.
“As all this chaos is going on, the auto rickshaw driver who dropped us off comes slowly back to the train station and says, ‘You left your bag in the car,'” Pisharody recalled.
When she looked in the rickshaw, the briefcase was exactly where she had left it. Nothing was missing.
“I just immediately thought of what I told my daughter that day when we were flying to India to never trust auto rickshaw drivers and police officers,” she said.
“It just renewed my faith in humanity, but it also taught me that miracles really do happen.”
My Unsung Hero is also a podcast — new episodes are released every Tuesday. To share the story of your unsung hero with the Hidden Brain team, record a voice memo on your phone and send it to myunsunghero@hiddenbrain.org.
A Look Back at Reese Witherspoon and Jim Toth’s Family Moments
It’s no big little lie: Reese Witherspoon and Jim Toth have called it quits.
“It is with a great deal of care and consideration that we have made the difficult decision to divorce,” the pair, 10-year-old son Tennessee, wrote on Instagram March 24. “We have enjoyed so many wonderful years together and are moving forward with deep love, kindness and mutual respect for everything we have created together.”
Their statement continued, “Our biggest priority is our son and our entire family as we navigate this next chapter. These matters are never easy and are extremely personal. We truly appreciate everyone’s respect for our family’s privacy at this time.”.
News of the longtime couple’s split comes two days before what would’ve been their 12th wedding anniversary.
Back in 2011, the duo tied the knot in a romantic ceremony held at Libbey Ranch—a country home then-owned by Reese—in Ojai, Calif. At the time, the Legally Blonde actress described herself as lucky in marrying someone who got along so well with her kids Ava Phillippe and son Deacon Phillippe, who she shares with ex Ryan Phillippe.
Afroman put home footage of a police raid in music videos. Now the cops are suing him
Enlarge this image Afroman, pictured performing in 2018, made music videos featuring home video footage of a police raid of his house last year. Now some of the officers are suing him, and he plans to countersue. Johnny Louis/Getty Images
Johnny Louis/Getty Images
After police in Ohio raided Afroman’s house last August, the rapper — known for early aughts hits including “Because I Got High” and “Crazy Rap (Colt 45 and 2 Zig-Zags)” — decided to make something out of it.
Law enforcement had searched his home on suspicion of drug trafficking and kidnapping, but found no evidence and filed no charges against him. He says they kicked down his door, broke his video surveillance system, stole money from him and frightened his family.
Afroman, whose real name is Joseph Foreman, told NPR in a phone interview that what he did next was his “smartest, most peaceful solution.”
“I asked myself, as a powerless Black man in America, what can I do to the cops that kicked my door in, tried to kill me in front of my kids, stole my money and disconnected my cameras?” he says. “And the only thing I could come up with was make a funny rap song about them and make some money, use the money to pay for the damages they did and move on.”
He released an album with songs about the raid and made music videos out of the surveillance footage. He created merchandise and social media posts calling out the officers who had been involved.
Now, some of them are suing him, his label, and a Texas-based music distribution company for invasion of privacy.
Four deputies, two sergeants and one detective from the Adams County Sheriff’s Office are accusing the rapper of profiting from the unauthorized use of their likenesses, at their personal and professional expense.
In a complaint filed in an Ohio pleas court last week, they say it’s been more difficult and dangerous to carry out their duties “because of comments made and attitudes expressed toward them by members of the public” who have seen the videos.
They say they have received death threats, and also suffered “humiliation, ridicule, mental distress, embarrassment and loss of reputation.”
The plaintiffs are seeking all of Afroman’s profits from the use of their personas — including proceeds of songs, videos and live events, as well as Afroman-branded merchandise such as beer, marijuana and t-shirts — as well as a court injunction to take down the music videos and social media posts.
“Unless Defendants are restrained, Plaintiffs will suffer irreparable injury to their reputations, their mental health, and their legally protected rights as Defendants continue to willfully and maliciously violate those rights,” they wrote.
The plaintiff’s lawyer and the sheriff’s office have not yet responded to NPR’s requests for comment.
Afroman says his immediate reaction to the lawsuit was “a drop of anger, disbelief and a little anxiety, followed by tons of laughter.”
“I was thinking, these big bad cops … are being beat up and bullied by those little corny rap songs I made about them,” Afroman says. “I’m like, ‘Oh my god, are you letting me know that my raps are working on you?'”
He says he was already pursuing a defamation lawsuit against the police, and that they have made that process easier because now his legal team just needs to countersue, which they plan to do soon.
“I want to sue them for stealing my money, I want to sue them for writing ‘kidnapping’ on a warrant and making me suffer financially in my industry because just that accusation makes people raise an eyebrow about you,” he adds.
Police scoured the house with guns drawnOfficers obtained a warrant to conduct a search of Afroman’s residence on August 21, 2022, according to the complaint.
A copy of the warrant, obtained by Cincinnati FOX affiliate WXIX-TV, alleged that there were drugs, drug paraphernalia, money and weapons associated with drug trafficking and kidnapping.
Afroman told NPR that he has no idea where the kidnapping accusation came from, and had nothing more in his house than the ends of a few blunts and unused pipes made for him by fans.
In his Wednesday post, he accused a “racist judge” of signing a “fictitious false warrant.”
Afroman was out of town on the day of the raid. But his ex-wife and kids, then 10 and 12, live nearby and came over when they saw the police presence. She recorded parts of the raid on her phone, while other scenes were captured by security video cameras around the house.
No charges came from the search, but that wasn’t the end of the story.
Afroman says he had to repair his door, an external gate and his security system wiring, which cost him nearly $20,000.
He also accuses police of stealing from him. The officers had confiscated more than $5,000 in cash during the raid, which Afroman says were earnings from performances.
It was eventually returned to him, but with $400 missing. Just last month, an investigation concluded that deputies had miscounted the original amount — a claim that Afroman continues to dispute.
“They became thieves and stole my money,” he wrote on Instagram. “After they stole my money they became criminals. After they became criminals they lost their right of privacy.”
“Lemon Pound Cake” came as a form of revengeAfroman released an album called Lemon Pound Cake just a month later. Two of its songs reference the raid and include home footage in their music videos.
One of those songs is the title track, inspired by a moment during the raid in which an officer, walking through the kitchen with his gun drawn, broke his focus to look down at a cake dish on the counter.
It tells the story to the tune of The Drifters’ “Under the Boardwalk.”
“Mama’s lemon pound cake, it tastes so nice, it made the sheriff want to put down his gun and cut him a slice,” Afroman sings at one point, before comparing the officer to Family Guy‘s Peter Griffin.
YouTubeAfroman’s online merchandise store peddles sweatshirts (currently sold out) and t-shirts showing Griffin and a large lemon cake, surrounded by black-and-white images of the officer from the video, with the names Afroman and “Officer Pound Cake.”
The video for another number, called “Will You Help Me Repair My Door,” is a montage of clips from the raid.
It shows officers standing outside of his house and kicking down his door, as well as combing through his closet, turning over his CD collection and flipping through a wad of cash.
“Did you find what you was looking for?” he sings. “Will you help me repair my gate and door?”
Afroman also created dozens of videos and images of the officers’ personas and posted them on social media sites including YouTube, Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram and TikTok.
The lawsuit points to several of those posts, many of which have since been deleted. Based on descriptions in the complaint, many of them promote the Lemon Pound Cake album and merchandise.
They also disparage the judge and officers involved in the search: comparing an officer to Quasimodo (the Hunchback of Notre-Dame) and the judge to the cartoon character Droopy, accusing the cops of theft and referring to them as “KKKops” from “Adams KKKounty.”
He says he didn’t set out to make a hateful album; he just wanted to laugh about it. That’s brought him a sense of victory, he adds.
“Me laughing at them, making songs about them, is more powerful than their authority,” he says. “It’s more powerful than their assault rifles, it’s more powerful than what they got because I got these big bad tough guys crying and whining about my songs, on my page, in my world.”
Afroman is doubling downAfroman says the response from fans and venues has been positive.
“My biggest fear was all of this being a big deal to me but not to my fans — my fans being like, ‘So what, you got raided dude, shut up and sing ‘Because I Got High,”” he says.
In fact, he says it’s only led to more exposure and opportunities. Afroman says he’s getting calls from people he hasn’t heard from in years — or at least since a few months ago when the raid happened.
“These guys are once again making me a bigger star,” he says of the police. “I don’t want to pay these guys nothing, but worst case scenario if I had to pay them, off the publicity and fame they gave me it might be fair just to shuffle them a few coins.”
He’s thinking of working on another album, with a name like Lemon Pound Cake Part 2. Most albums have 7-10 songs, he says, so he would write one about each officer “and see how good I could humiliate them.”
Afroman says by making merchandise and cracking jokes, he turned a bad thing into a good thing. And he hopes others can apply that lesson in their own lives.
“I just want people to do the best they can,” he adds. “I want to see people look at me and say what a sport, what a good peaceful positive move to make under such bad circumstances.”
As the U.S. confronts a rising China, one country is right in the middle
Enlarge this image This month, President Joe Biden announced a “historic project to strengthen Australian submarine capacity and our own.” Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images
Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images
This month, Australia struck a deal with the U.S. and the U.K. to acquire nuclear-powered submarine technology. It’s a big moment for the country that, having found itself itself caught between two world powers, has decisively taken sides.
Who are they? The Australians — aka a key pillar in the United States’ strategy to counter an increasingly powerful China.
The country of about 26 million people has long been one of America’s closest and most reliable allies, participating in numerous U.S. conflicts — from Vietnam to Iraq and Afghanistan. It is part of the five eyes intelligence sharing pact, and hosts U.S. forces on its territory.Australia has had increasingly fraught relations with China — on everything from claims that China has interfered in Australian politics, to calls from Canberra for an international investigation into the origins of COVID-19. China has not taken kindly to these assertions and has tried to punish Australia by cutting off trade ties. China is Australia’s largest trade relationship.Under the new submarine deal, Australia will buy U.S. subs in the short-term and build their own in the coming decades. It’s the first time since the 1950s — and only the second time ever — that the U.S. has shared this sort of tech with another country.
(From left) Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Joe Biden, and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak hold a press conference after announcing the submarine deal. Leon Neal/Getty Images
Leon Neal/Getty Images
What’s the big deal? Apart from how rare a move like this is for the U.S., it also signals the importance the Biden administration places on Australia.
The maneuvering and shoring up of alliances by the U.S. are nothing new, but analysts say what is evolving is Australia’s role in this dynamic.“While America has a ton of allies, and even more partners around the world, we have a much narrower list of those who are both capable and willing to make sure that they step up to provide stability for the region,” Charles Edel, of the U.S. think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies, told NPR’s Steve Inskeep.And it comes as China’s President Xi Jinping visited Russia this month, cementing his country’s ongoing and important relationship with President Vladimir Putin.Meanwhile, the rhetoric between China and the U.S. has been heating up. Earlier this month, China’s new foreign minister, Qin Gang, warned the U.S. was on a path toward “conflict and confrontation.”
Yesterday, we deepened the U.S.-Australia partnership by developing something new – together.
A historic project to strengthen Australian submarine capacity and our own.
These investments will help us promote a free and secure Indo-Pacific for decades to come. pic.twitter.com/KHYzhiWwbX
— President Biden (@POTUS) March 14, 2023
What are people saying?
Edel on the deal, and China’s reaction:
Submarines are only the tip of the iceberg here. We’re also talking about a series of collaborations in cyber, in artificial intelligence, in quantum, on unmanned underwater vehicles — a host of different technologies.
I think from Beijing’s perspective, Australia is a bit of a puzzling case because it’s a smaller state. And because they have prospered it doesn’t exactly make sense from a Chinese perspective why the Australians have asserted their own sovereignty quite so strongly. And frankly, I think the reason why you’ve seen such anger emanating from Beijing is not so much what Australia has done, but the fact that Australia as a middle-sized democratic power, has set an alternative example about how states can stand up, protect their own sovereignty, and not simply buck to the demands of the Chinese state.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, alongside President Joe Biden when the deal was announced:
Today, what we’ve really done is just to demonstrate a next chapter in our history together … I think it is very important, very significant that you have agreed for just the second time in history to share this technology. And I think it will make a difference in advancing security and stability in the region.
President Joe Biden, when the submarine deal was announced:
Today, as we stand at the inflection point in history, where the hard work of announcing deterrence and enhancing stability is going to reflect peace and stability for decades to come, the United States can ask for no better partners in the Indo-Pacific where so much of our shared future will be written.
Want to understand the world a bit better? Listen to the Consider This episode on what young Iraqis want 20 years after the war began.
The rhetoric between China and the U.S. has been heating up. Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images
Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images
So, what now?
Competition and rivalry between the U.S. and China are now entrenched, setting the stage for the years to come. At the same time, the two countries are still economically entwined, with trade remaining strong.Former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has this week taken up his new posting as the country’s ambassador to the U.S., and has recently warned against expecting China to soften its “ideological cleavage with the West.”And Australia is far from the only place the U.S. is focused on, with Vice President Kamala Harris departing on Saturday for a week-long trip to Africa to counter Chinese influence there.Learn more:
Biden is selling U.S. nuclear submarines to Australia to counter ChinaThe leaders of China and Russia have finished talks. Here are some takeawaysFollowing the U.S., Australia says it will remove Chinese-made surveillance camerasMarch 23, 2023
Utah’s new social media law means children will need approval from parents
Enlarge this image Gov. Spencer Cox signs two social media regulation bills during a ceremony at the Capitol building in Salt Lake City on Thursday, March 23, 2023. Cox signed a pair of measures that aim to limit when and where children can use social media and stop companies from luring kids to the sites. Trent Nelson/AP
Trent Nelson/AP
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah became the first state to enact laws limiting how children can use social media after Republican Gov. Spencer Cox signed a pair of measures Thursday that require parental consent before kids can sign up for sites like TikTok and Instagram.
The two bills Cox signed into law also prohibit kids under 18 from using social media between the hours of 10:30 p.m. and 6:30 a.m., require age verification for anyone who wants to use social media in the state and seek to prevent tech companies from luring kids to their apps using addictive features.
The laws passed through Utah’s Republican-supermajority Legislature are the latest reflection of how politicians’ perceptions of technology companies are changing — and that includes pro-business Republicans.
Tech giants like Facebook and Google have enjoyed unbridled growth for over a decade, but amid concerns over user privacy, hate speech, misinformation and harmful effects on teens’ mental health, lawmakers have begun trying to rein them in. Utah’s law was signed on the same day TikTok’s CEO testified before Congress about, among other things, TikTok’s effects on teenagers’ mental health.
But legislation has stalled on the federal level, pushing states to step in.
Other red states, such as Arkansas, Texas, Ohio and Louisiana have similar proposals in the works, along with New Jersey. California, meanwhile, enacted a law last year requiring tech companies to put kids’ safety first by barring them from profiling children or using personal information in ways that could harm children physically or mentally.
In addition to the parental consent provisions, social media companies would likely have to design new features to comply with parts of the law to prohibit promoting ads to minors and showing them in search results. Tech companies like TikTok, Snapchat and Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, make most of their money by targeting advertising to their users.
What’s not clear from the Utah bill and others is how the states plan to enforce the new regulations. Companies are already prohibited from collecting data on children under 13 without parental consent under the federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. For this reason, social media companies already ban kids under 13 from signing up to their platforms — but children can easily get around it, both with and without their parents’ consent.
Cox said studies have shown that time spent on social media leads to “poor mental health outcomes” for children.
“We remain very optimistic that we will be able to pass not just here in the state of Utah but across the country legislation that significantly changes the relationship of our children with these very destructive social media apps,” he said.
Children’s advocacy groups generally welcomed the law, with some caveats. Common Sense Media, a nonprofit focusing on kids and technology, hailed the law aimed at reining in social media’s addictive features. It “adds momentum for other states to hold social media companies accountable to ensure kids across the country are protected online,” said Jim Steyer, the CEO and founder of Common Sense.
He pointed to similar legislation in the works in California and New Jersey — and said the safety and mental well-being of kids and teens depend on legislation like this to hold big tech accountable for creating safer and healthier experiences online.
But Steyer said the other bill Cox signed giving parents access to children’s social media posts would “deprive kids of the online privacy protections we advocate for. The law also requires age verification and parental consent for minors to create a social media account, which doesn’t get to the root of the problem – kids and teens will still be exposed to companies’ harmful data collection and design practices once they are on the platform.”
The laws are the latest effort from Utah lawmakers focused on children and the information they can access online. Two years ago, Cox signed legislation that called on tech companies to automatically block porn on cell phones and tablets sold, citing the dangers it posed to children. Amid concerns about enforcement, lawmakers in the deeply religious state revised the bill to prevent it from taking effect unless five other states passed similar laws.
The social media regulations come as parents and lawmakers are growing increasingly concerned about kids and teenagers’ use and how platforms like TikTok, Instagram and others are affecting young people’s mental health.
It is set to take effect in March 2024, and Cox has previously said he anticipates social media companies will challenge it in court.
Tech industry lobbyists quickly decried the laws as unconstitutional, saying they infringe on people’s right to exercise the First Amendment online.
“Utah will soon require online services to collect sensitive information about teens and families, not only to verify ages, but to verify parental relationships, like government-issued IDs and birth certificates, putting their private data at risk of breach,” said Nicole Saad Bembridge, an associate director at NetChoice, a tech lobby group.
Do Kwon: Interpol confirms arrest of South Korean crypto fugitive in Montenegro
Seoul/Atlanta
CNN
—
Interpol says a man arrested in Montenegro is Kwon Do-hyeong, also known as Do Kwon, the disgraced founder of a collapsed crypto company who is wanted in South Korea and the United States for fraud and other charges.
Kwon, a South Korean national, founded the blockchain platform behind the stablecoin TerraUSD and its sister coin Luna. Both coins lost value in a matter of days in May 2022, wiping around $40 billion from the crypto market and causing panic in the speculative sector.
Kwon’s identity was confirmed by a fingerprint match, Interpol’s National Central Bureau in Seoul told CNN on Friday.
The day before, the Montenegrin Minister of Internal Affairs, Filip Adžić, had written on social networks that a man suspected of being Kwon had been arrested in the capital Podgorica.
“He was arrested at the airport with forged documents and is wanted by several countries, including the United States, South Korea and Singapore,” Adžić said in a Facebook post.
Kwon was based in Singapore while running blockchain platform Terraform Labs. Seoul prosecutors told CNN in December that the crypto entrepreneur is believed to be in Serbia, where he was hiding after leaving Singapore via Dubai.
In September, a South Korean court issued an arrest warrant for Kwon, after he was accused of fraud by investors in the country following the collapse of his business.
Kwon was charged with fraud and violations of South Korean capital markets law. He said in October he did not believe the charges were legitimate and claimed they were “politically motivated”.
The crypto developer has repeatedly claimed on Twitter that he was not “on the run”, but that he had refused to reveal his whereabouts out of fear for his personal safety.
Terraform Labs was behind TerraUSD, a stablecoin that, in theory, was supposed to hold a price of $1.
The collapse of related coins TerraUSD and Luna triggered the so-called “crypto winter,” from which the industry struggled to recover even as it suffered another blow from the fall of the FTX crypto exchange in November.
– CNN’s Jake Kwon contributed reporting
New York nears agreement to ban gas stoves in new homes
New York would be the first to take this step through legislative action; California and Washington have done this through building codes. A deal has not been finalized to secure the passage, but the new restrictions are included in the three plans being discussed in Albany.
Supporters see the potential law as a national model that they hope can spur other states and the federal government to take similar steps to limit the use of fossil fuels in buildings, which are a major source of greenhouse gas emissions contributing to climate change.
“All eyes are on us and many other states are watching what New York is doing,” said Pat McClellan, director of policy at the New York League of Conservation Voters. “If we prove it can be done and we have the political will to do it, it will open the floodgates for other states to act.”
Republicans across the country have stoked anger over proposals targeting gas stoves after a federal official said the Consumer Product Safety Commission should consider a ban. In Florida, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis urged lawmakers to approve a tax exemption for gas stoves and said federal authorities were “not taking our gas stoves away from us.”
In New York, Hochul did not propose a measure to ban the sale of new gas stoves for existing buildings, just new buildings. New York’s climate plan, however, supports such a step into the future.
The three proposals being considered in New York — those of the Assembly, the Senate and the governor — have certain exemptions, including for emergency backup generators, hospitals, laundromats and commercial kitchens.
The measures would continue to allow gas stoves in new restaurants, but eventually block them in residential buildings and most other new buildings. Details would be worked out by the state building codes board.
The proposals face opposition from fossil fuel companies, business groups and homebuilders. Some upstate Democratic lawmakers are concerned about the plan and are sensitive to questions from their constituents about the perceived cost and reliability of electric heat options.
“I would rather we encourage electric buildings, either through tax credits or other proposals, rather than forcing it as a problem because there is a lot of concern and angst especially in the west of New York,” said Assemblywoman Monica Wallace (D-Lancaster). “We shouldn’t necessarily prohibit people from pursuing other options if that’s what they want.”
New York’s climate law mandates deep emission reductions in coming years with a goal of net zero by 2050. A ban on burning fossil fuels in new buildings is recommended by the New York’s climate plan. State that was developed over a multi-year process and approved last December.
New York City has already enacted a ban on fossil fuel burning equipment, including stoves, with exemptions for restaurants and other specific uses, in most new buildings under seven stories from next year and in 2027 for taller buildings.
Proposed dates for the new statewide requirement differ, as does the height of buildings that would be captured. The earliest date supported by the State Senate is early 2025 for residences and buildings under seven stories. Hochul and the Assembly supported banning gas in new homes from 2026.
Not all news on the site expresses the point of view of the site, but we transmit this news automatically and translate it through programmatic technology on the site and not from a human editor.
Violent French pension protests erupt as one million protest: NPR
Demonstrators run amid tear gas during a protest in Lyon, central France, Thursday, March 23, 2023. French unions are staging their first mass protests on Thursday since President Emmanuel Macron inflamed the wrath of the public by imposing an increase in the retirement age by Parliament without a vote.
Laurent Cipriani/AP
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Laurent Cipriani/AP
Demonstrators run amid tear gas during a protest in Lyon, central France, Thursday, March 23, 2023. French unions are staging their first mass protests on Thursday since President Emmanuel Macron inflamed the wrath of the public by imposing an increase in the retirement age by Parliament without a vote.
Laurent Cipriani/AP
PARIS – More than a million people demonstrated across France on Thursday against unpopular pension reforms, and violence erupted in some places as unions called for new nationwide strikes and protests next week, coinciding with the planned visit of King Charles III to France.
The Interior Ministry said the march in Paris – marred by violence, like many marches elsewhere – drew 119,000 people, which was a record for the capital during anti-pension protests. Polls indicate that most French people oppose President Emmanuel Macron’s bill to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64, which he says is necessary to keep the system afloat.
Building on the high turnout, unions were quick to call for further protests and strikes on Tuesday when the British king is due to visit Bordeaux on the second day of his trip to France. The heavy wooden door of Bordeaux’s elegant town hall was set on fire and quickly destroyed on Thursday evening by members of an unauthorized protest, the Sud Ouest newspaper reported.
Across the country, more than a million people joined protest marches held in cities and towns across the country on Thursday, the ministry said.
Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin, visiting the police headquarters on Thursday evening while fires were still burning in certain Parisian districts, assured that security “poses no problem” and that the British monarch will be “welcomed and well welcomed”.
He said there had been “huge degradation” to public buildings and commerce on Thursday, “much greater than in previous protests”.
“There are troublemakers, often from the far left, who want to overthrow the state and kill the police and ultimately take over the institutions,” the minister said.
The protests came a day after Macron further angered his critics by standing firm on the pension bill his government pushed through parliament without a vote.
“While the (president) tries to turn the page, this social and trade union movement (…) confirms the determination of the working world and youth to obtain the withdrawal of the reform”, indicated in a press release the eight unions. organizing demonstrations. He called for localized action this weekend and more nationwide strikes and protests on Tuesday.
Protesters march during a rally in Paris, Thursday March 23, 2023.
Aurelien Morissard/AP
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Aurelien Morissard/AP
Protesters march during a rally in Paris, Thursday March 23, 2023.
Aurelien Morissard/AP
The strikes disrupted travel as protesters blocked train stations, Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris, refineries and ports.
In Paris, street battles between police and black-clad masked groups who attacked at least two fast-food restaurants, a supermarket and a bank mirrored the escalating violence and diverted the attention of tens of thousands peaceful walkers.
Police, bombarded with Molotov cocktails, objects and fireworks, charged repeatedly and used tear gas to disperse the rioters. A fog of tear gas covered part of the Place de l’Opéra, where the demonstrators converged at the end of the march. Darmanin said the radicals numbered around 1,500.
Violence marred other marches, including in the western cities of Nantes, Rennes and Lorient — where an administrative building was attacked and the courtyard of the police station was set on fire and its windows smashed — and in Lyon, in the South East.
Thursday’s nationwide protests were the ninth protests organized by unions since January, as opponents still hoped Parliament would reject Macron’s measure to raise the retirement age. But the government forced him to go through a special constitutional measure.
In an interview on Wednesday, Macron refused to change his mind that a new law is needed to secure funding for pension funds. Opponents have offered other solutions, including raising taxes on the wealthy or businesses, which Macron said would hurt the economy. He insisted that the government’s bill to raise the retirement age must be implemented by the end of the year.
The Constitutional Council must now approve the measure.
“We are trying to say before the law is enacted… that a way out has to be found and we continue to say that the way out is the withdrawal of the law,” said the boss of the moderate CFDT union, Laurent Berger. . , told the Associated Press.
High-speed and regional trains, the Paris metro and public transport in other major cities were disrupted. Around 30% of flights at Paris Orly airport have been cancelled.
The Eiffel Tower and the Palace of Versailles, where the British monarch is due to dine with Macron, were closed on Thursday due to the strikes.
Violence, a recurring problem during the demonstrations, has intensified in recent days. Darmanin said 12,000 security forces were on the streets of France on Thursday, including 5,000 in Paris,
The Ministry of Education said in a statement that about 24% of teachers walked off Thursday in primary and secondary schools, and 15% in high schools.
At the Gare de Lyon, in Paris, several hundred strikers marched on the tracks to stop the trains from running, brandishing flares and chanting “and we will go, and we will go until the withdrawal” and “Macron, go don’t worry”.
“This year maybe our holidays won’t be so great,” says Maxime Monin, 46, who points out that employees like him, who work in public transport, are not paid on strike days. . “But I think it’s worth the sacrifice.”
In the northern suburbs of Paris, several dozen trade unionists blocked a bus depot in Pantin, preventing around 200 vehicles from leaving during rush hour.
Nadia Belhoum, a 48-year-old bus driver taking part in the action, criticized Macron’s decision to force an increase in the retirement age.
“The President of the Republic (…) is not a king, and he must listen to his people,” she said.
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More than 1 million demonstrate across France against pension reforms
Enlarge this image Protesters run amid the tear gas during a demonstration in Lyon, central France, Thursday, March 23, 2023. French unions are holding their first mass demonstrations Thursday since President Emmanuel Macron enflamed public anger by forcing a higher retirement age through parliament without a vote. Laurent Cipriani/AP
Laurent Cipriani/AP
PARIS — More than 1 million people demonstrated across France on Thursday against unpopular pension reforms, and violence erupted in some places as unions called for new nationwide strikes and protests next week, coinciding with King Charles III’s planned visit to France.
The Interior Ministry said the march in Paris — marred by violence, as were numerous marches elsewhere — drew 119,000 people, which was a record for the capital during the pension protests. Polls say most French oppose President Emmanuel Macron’s bill to increase the retirement age from 62 to 64, which he says is necessary to keep the system afloat.
Building on the strong turnout, unions swiftly called for new protests and strikes on Tuesday when the British king is scheduled to visit Bordeaux on the second day of his trip to France. The heavy wooden door of the elegant Bordeaux City Hall was set afire and quickly destroyed Thursday evening by a members of an unauthorized demonstration, the Sud Ouest newspaper said.
Nationwide, more than a million people joined protest marches held in cities and towns around the country Thursday, the ministry said.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, visiting police headquarters Thursday night as fires still burned in some Paris neighborhoods, gave assurance that security “poses no problem” and the British monarch will be “welcomed and welcomed well.”
He said there was “enormous degrading” of public buildings and commerce Thursday, “far more important than in precedent demonstrations.”
“There are troublemakers, often extreme left, who want to take down the state and kill police and ultimately take over the institutions,” the minister said.
The demonstrations were held a day after Macron further angered his critics by standing strong on the retirement bill that his government forced through parliament without a vote.
“While the (president) tries to turn the page, this social and union movement … confirms the determination of the world of workers and youth to obtain the withdrawal of the reform,” the eight unions organizing protests said in a statement. It called for localized action this weekend and new nationwide strikes and protests Tuesday.
Enlarge this image Protesters march during a rally in Paris, Thursday, March 23, 2023. Aurelien Morissard/AP
Aurelien Morissard/AP
Strikes upended travel as protesters blockaded train stations, Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, refineries and ports.
In Paris, street battles between police and black-clad, masked groups who attacked at least two fast food restaurants, a supermarket and a bank reflected intensifying violence and drew attention away from the tens of thousands of peaceful marchers.
Police, pelted by Molotov cocktails, objects and fireworks, charged multiple times and used tear gas to disperse rioters. A haze of tear gas fumes covered part of the Place de l’Opera, where demonstrators converged at the march’s end. Darmanin said radicals numbered some 1,500.
Violence marred other marches, notably in the western cities of Nantes, Rennes and Lorient — where an administrative building was attacked and the courtyard of the police station was set afire and its windows broken — and in Lyon, in the southeast.
Thursday’s nationwide protests were the ninth union-organized demonstrations since January, when opponents still hoped that parliament would reject Macron’s measure to raise the retirement age. But the government forced it through using a special constitutional measure.
In an interview Wednesday, Macron refused to budge from his position that a new law is necessary to keep retirement coffers funded. Opponents proposed other solutions, including higher taxes on the wealthy or companies, which Macron says would hurt the economy. He insisted the government’s bill to raise the retirement age must be implemented by the end of the year.
The Constitutional Council must now approve the measure.
“We are trying to say before the law is enacted … that we have to find a way out and we continue to say that the way out is the withdrawal of the law,” the chief of the moderate CFDT trade union, Laurent Berger, told The Associated Press.
High-speed and regional trains, the Paris metro and public transportation systems in other major cities were disrupted. About 30% of flights at Paris Orly Airport were canceled.
The Eiffel Tower and the Versailles Palace, where the British monarch is to dine with Macron, were closed Thursday due to the strikes.
Violence, a recurring issue at protests, has intensified in recent days. Darmanin said that 12,000 security forces were in the French streets Thursday, with 5,000 in Paris,
The Education Ministry said in a statement that about 24% of teachers walked off the job in primary and middle schools on Thursday, and 15% in high schools.
At Paris’ Gare de Lyon train station, several hundred strikers walked on railway tracks to prevent trains from moving, brandishing flares and chanting “and we will go, and we will go until withdrawal” and “Macron, go away.”
“This year perhaps maybe our holidays won’t be so great,” said Maxime Monin, 46, who stressed that employees like himself, who work in public transport, are not paid on strike days. “But I think it’s worth the sacrifice.”
In the northern suburbs of Paris, several dozen union members blocked a bus depot in Pantin, preventing about 200 vehicles from getting out during rush hour.
Nadia Belhoum, a 48-year-old bus driver participating in the action, criticized Macron’s decision to force the higher retirement age through.
“The president of the Republic … is not a king, and he should listen to his people,” she said.
Rachel Bilson and Nick Viall Admit They Faked Their Romance
Rachel Bilson never actually accepted Nick Viall‘s rose.
The O.C. actress, who sparked romance rumors with Nick in 2019 after they exchanged flirty messages on social media, recently came clean about her relationship with the Bachelor Nation member. Spoiler alert: There wasn’t one.
“No, Nick and I never dated,” Rachel admitted March 21 on Nick’s podcast The Viall Files, with him adding, “We did troll the internet.”
Rachel clarified that they were just “messing around—not together, but I mean with the internet,” while Nick explained that the duo were “epically single and we wanted the attention.” And no, their ruse never “got to a point” where they actually felt inclined to date one another, Rachel said.
Nick explained that the fake relationship idea popped into his head after he “became good friends” with Rachel when she appeared on his podcast in July 2019. Afterward, the two brainstormed the possibility of doing a spin-off podcast.
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