An Honest Eye on the French Protests

A Facebook shared post.
43% have skipped meals or eaten less
to feed their children more.
38% have foregone medical treatment
due to out-of-pocket expenses.
70% have used the restroom at home
because school toilets were dirty
(not because they were "afraid of being teased").
*
On the other hand, during his term,
Macron implemented tax cuts for the wealthy
amounting to 100 trillion won, including capital gains tax, solidarity wealth tax, corporate tax, and corporate VAT.
This is the reality for the common people in France.
At this point, it would be hard not to protest.
*
News of the French protests is frequently
consumed in Korea as fuel for immigrant and Muslim hatred,
but that is not actually the stance in France.
Even the far-right party RN or Le Pen
do not point to immigrants and Muslims as the cause.
The "immigrant/Muslim frame"
was started by the root of all evil, Trump, as follows:
“Immigrants from a completely different world,
carrying hatred in their hearts,
have shattered a once great nation.”
*
And then, some people
happily respond to this.
They incite Muslim hatred by sharing videos
of looted grocery stores in France
where only pork was left behind.
There are forces that intentionally
keep producing such videos locally
to instill that conviction.
In our country, there are also "demonic bastards"
who pick this up and spread it gladly.
(There is a reason I am using
such anger-filled expressions)
Ultimately, a racial hatred tragedy occurred
in the outskirts of Paris, where an automatic rifle
was fired at Muslims, resulting in 6 casualties.
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Those who sow hatred, loathing, and division in the world
must clearly understand what they are doing.
If someone who calls themselves a Christian does such a thing,
they must realize that what they believe in is not God,
but the monster they have created.
*
“Everyone who stands by and watches hatred is an accomplice to it.”
“It is the responsibility of all of us as members of a civilized society
not to give those who hate the opportunity
to harm their targets.
This is not something that can be passed on to others.
It does not take much to be a source of strength
for those who are despised and threatened
simply because they look different, think differently,
or have different religions or ways of loving.
It consists of small things, such as detecting discrimination
and opening up social or discursive spaces
to those who have been expelled from them.”
_ Karoline Emke, 『Hate Society: How Hatred Infects and Spreads』