The world protests
The US movement Occupy Wall Street has inspired demonstrations against the power of the financial sector around the world, giving new force in Europe above all to protests in the crisis countries. What is the outlook for the fledgling protest movement?
Novinar - Bulgaria | Tuesday, 22. May 2012
The financial and economic crisis has led to a new protest movement in Europe and the US. But the angry youths behind the Occupy movement are less idealistic than their parents who took to the streets in the 1960s and 70s, writes columnist Zorniza Ilieva in the daily Novinar: » more
The financial and economic crisis has led to a new protest movement in Europe and the US. But the angry youths behind the Occupy movement are less idealistic than their parents who took to the streets in the 1960s and 70s, writes columnist Zorniza Ilieva in the daily Novinar: "Young people today are more pragmatic, more adaptable, far better informed and aware that music can't change the world. In the last century, clever boys sang songs about politics and we all sang along with them - and still do today. But today these boys would seem ridiculous, because they have no place in our modern world. Today young people are storming the parliaments, founding parties, delivering inflammatory speeches and intervening in top-level politics. Once in power, however, they quickly become just like their predecessors. Their speeches become more and more smooth and moderate and they lose the fire of protest and the energy that comes with newness."
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All available articles from » Zorniza Ilieva
Público - Spain | Monday, 14. May 2012
In Spain, the protest of the "indignant" began on 15 May 2011 (15-M) with a major demonstration at Madrid's Puerta del Sol Square against the austerity policy and corruption in politics. To mark the anniversary of the protest, tens of thousands of demonstrators are once again gathering in Spanish cities. They want to regain their sovereignty as the people, and it is their legitimate right to do so, writes political scientist Ramón Cotarelo in the left-leaning daily Público: » more
In Spain, the protest of the "indignant" began on 15 May 2011 (15-M) with a major demonstration at Madrid's Puerta del Sol Square against the austerity policy and corruption in politics. To mark the anniversary of the protest, tens of thousands of demonstrators are once again gathering in Spanish cities. They want to regain their sovereignty as the people, and it is their legitimate right to do so, writes political scientist Ramón Cotarelo in the left-leaning daily Público: "Sovereignty rests with the people, not because the constitution says so but because this is the way it is regardless of what the constitution says. Of course it's better that the constitution recognises this, but even if it didn't it wouldn't mean that sovereignty rested with anyone other than the people. … The people can transfer this sovereignty to a representative institution, or if they believe that the institution is not fulfilling its role they can retrieve it. And this is precisely what spontaneous movements like 'Democracia Real Ya' [real democracy now'] and 15-M, which agree that they want to change the political, economic and social system in its totality and revise the social contract, are now doing."
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All available articles from » Ramón Cotarelo
Trouw - Netherlands | Tuesday, 3. April 2012
The Occupy movement has lost impetus in many Western countries. But opposition to uncontrolled capitalism remains essential, writes the Christian-social daily Trouw: » more
The Occupy movement has lost impetus in many Western countries. But opposition to uncontrolled capitalism remains essential, writes the Christian-social daily Trouw: "Since 2010 the income gap has started to grow again. This worrying fact demonstrates that many just want to get back to business as usual. An organised movement against such developments that provides well-founded systemic critique is more than welcome. This role is a little too big for Occupy. Yet it is encouraging that thanks to Occupy, economists today are seriously concerning themselves with the dangers of income disparities. That is a success. However an interesting debate among economists is little consolation for those who feel anxious, angry or excluded. The tents have disappeared from the streets, but hopefully something will remain of the resistance to unbridled capitalism and materialism, and of the quest for a more sustainable, more equitable society."
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The Guardian - United Kingdom | Wednesday, 29. February 2012
More than 100 police officers evicted the protesters of the Occupy London movement from their camp in front of St. Paul's Cathedral on Monday night. The protesters have nevertheless achieved much, the left-liberal daily The Guardian writes: » more
More than 100 police officers evicted the protesters of the Occupy London movement from their camp in front of St. Paul's Cathedral on Monday night. The protesters have nevertheless achieved much, the left-liberal daily The Guardian writes: "The local Tory MP endorsed Occupy's agenda if not its methods, and party leaders are now falling over each other in their rush to denounce crony capitalism. Where turn-of-the-millennium Stop the City protests were the preserve of socialist students, opinion polls this time have found middle Britain more inclined to applaud Occupy's idealism than to dismiss it as naive. ... The difficulty was less that the charge was awry, although some Occupiers did sketch out first thoughts on a new political economy in the FT. No, the real difficulty is that - amid the crisis - it is perfectly clear that the establishment is itself bereft of solutions."
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More from the press review on the subject » Fiscal Policy, » Economic Policy, » United Kingdom, » Global
Svenska Dagbladet - Sweden | Tuesday, 31. January 2012
The Swedish Occupy movement "Allt åt alla" (Everything for Everyone) invited people to take part in a bus safari through the exclusive Stockholm suburb Saltsjöbaden on Sunday to take a look at the millionaire's villas there and "foment class hatred". Such rhetoric won't help solve the social problems at all, writes the conservative daily Svenska Dagbladet: » more
The Swedish Occupy movement "Allt åt alla" (Everything for Everyone) invited people to take part in a bus safari through the exclusive Stockholm suburb Saltsjöbaden on Sunday to take a look at the millionaire's villas there and "foment class hatred". Such rhetoric won't help solve the social problems at all, writes the conservative daily Svenska Dagbladet: "As a students' prank this expedition has a slightly humorous aspect to it. If it wasn't for the dark exhortation to 'foment class hatred' it would have even been a success. ... The network is of course right when it says that there are class differences in Sweden today. But the activists don't make the distinction between the economic and the socio-cultural gap and are therefore not helping to overcome it. They content themselves with inciting political hatred against the villa district instead of reflecting on how everyone can perhaps not have everything, but at least have a little more."
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All available articles from » Johan Ingerö
Der Standard - Austria | Thursday, 19. January 2012
Because the protest in Romania is directed against the political system as a whole it is unrealistic in the eyes of the left-liberal dialy Der Standard to expect the demonstrators to join forces with the opposition: » more
Because the protest in Romania is directed against the political system as a whole it is unrealistic in the eyes of the left-liberal dialy Der Standard to expect the demonstrators to join forces with the opposition: "Băsescu's political career is now at stake. Because unlike in Russia and Hungary the opposition in Bulgaria enjoys 50 percent support according to the polls. However it is unlikely that the demonstrators will take sides with the opposition because for many of them the parties and trade unions themselves are untrustworthy. The social democrats in Spain were also unable to convince the 'indignant' in Madrid. According to political analyst Cristian Pirvulescu the protests in Romania are part of a global movement calling for more social and political democracy. These people don't want another party, they want a new political class."
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All available articles from » Adelheid Wölfl
Profil - Austria | Saturday, 31. December 2011
In 2011 not only in the Arab world but also many people in Russia, China and the West rose up against the powers that be. This trend will continue in the new year, Georg Hoffmann-Ostenhoff predicts on news portal Profil Online: » more
In 2011 not only in the Arab world but also many people in Russia, China and the West rose up against the powers that be. This trend will continue in the new year, Georg Hoffmann-Ostenhoff predicts on news portal Profil Online: "It looks like the new movements of the Internet generation are combining with traditional forms of battle. The anger at the unjust circumstances and the deposed political caste is combining with very concrete defence operations against attacks on living standards and the social security system. Lenin once said that a revolutionary situation arises 'when those on top are unable and those at the bottom are unwilling' to maintain the current order. This fits in well with what is happening in the Arab world. ... But also in the developed West the ruling powers are increasingly confused and those who are ruled over are increasingly angry. Revolutions may not be on the cards here but we have certainly come to a turning point. And it's also clear that as well as the state chancelleries and governments on the one hand and the stock exchanges and banks on the other - or in other words politics and the markets - a third player has gained importance: the people on the street. And they are cleverer than ever before."
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All available articles from » Georg Hoffmann-Ostenhof
Blog Del alfiler al elefante - Spain | Wednesday, 28. December 2011
Just as in the course of history only a few people stay in our memories the same is true with the years, writes Lluís Bassets in his blog Del Alfiler al Elefante, and says 2011 was more historical than 1989 when the Eastern bloc collapsed: » more
Just as in the course of history only a few people stay in our memories the same is true with the years, writes Lluís Bassets in his blog Del Alfiler al Elefante, and says 2011 was more historical than 1989 when the Eastern bloc collapsed: "And so 2011 emulates and even surpasses the year 1989 in every respect. A revolutionary wave has shook the foundations of power and the alliances throughout the Arab world. The anticipated nuclear renaissance was drowned out by the tsunami and disaster in Fukushima. The generation of conformists spoiled by years of prosperity have turned into indignant activists and occupied the streets and squares of Spain and even the US, in a wave of protests we hadn't witnessed since 1968. Europe has reacted to the financial crisis but at the expense of leaving behind the British - a rupture of historical dimensions and the greatest in the turbulent history of the relations between the United Kingdom and the European continent since the UK joined in 1973."
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All available articles from » Lluís Bassets
Magyar Narancs - Hungary | Wednesday, 14. December 2011
The demonstrators of the US Occupy Wall Street movement have shown the US that the American dream is coming to an end, writes journalist Mirjam Donáth in the online edition of the left-liberal weekly Magyar Narancs: » more
The demonstrators of the US Occupy Wall Street movement have shown the US that the American dream is coming to an end, writes journalist Mirjam Donáth in the online edition of the left-liberal weekly Magyar Narancs: "Among the activists in New York I have seen elegantly dressed orators but also people without jobs. ... There are young social-democratic hippies and old men in suits who are tired of Obama. ... The movement still has no leader and it's still unclear whether the goal is a total economic and political change of system or a reformed capitalism. ... The unrest of November makes one thing clear: more than three-quarters of the US electorate believes that the economic system in which they live works to the advantage of the upper ten thousand. One thing the Occupy movement has achieved can't be doubted: it has put income disparity on the agenda, an issue that was once taboo. The movement has demonstrated that for the average man on the street, climbing the social ladder in the midst of the economic crisis is utterly impossible. This endangers a key element of the nation's cohesion: the American dream."
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All available articles from » Mirjam Donáth
Wprost Online - Poland | Tuesday, 6. December 2011
In Poland there have been no major protests against the anti-crisis policies of the government, like for example in Spain. This shows how reasonable young Poles are, the conservative news portal Wprost Online writes: » more
In Poland there have been no major protests against the anti-crisis policies of the government, like for example in Spain. This shows how reasonable young Poles are, the conservative news portal Wprost Online writes: "When the young Indignant went out in protest in Rome, Paris and Berlin, everyone waited with baited breath to see if the 'outraged' on the banks of the Vistula would join them. After the radical government statement by Prime Minister Tusk, who from one day to the next stopped talking of Poland as an island of the blessed and has been talking seriously about the crisis ever since, many expected the mood on the street to heat up despite the November weather. But nothing of the sort has happened. The younger Poles who were pampered during the years of prosperity are far more reasonable than many had expected."
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More from the press review on the subject » Consumers, » Economy, » Poland
All available articles from » Elżbieta Burda
Voxpublica - Romania | Monday, 28. November 2011
Last Friday was Black Friday in the US, the day after Thanksgiving when businesses traditionally lure customers with extra-low prices. The tents set up in front of stores across the country resembled those of the Occupy movement in New York but reveal another paradox of Western culture, writes Julian Leca on the blog portal Voxpublica: » more
Last Friday was Black Friday in the US, the day after Thanksgiving when businesses traditionally lure customers with extra-low prices. The tents set up in front of stores across the country resembled those of the Occupy movement in New York but reveal another paradox of Western culture, writes Julian Leca on the blog portal Voxpublica: "People who grow up in the West are the product of a consumer society that satisfies every mood. How, from this starting point, can you revolt against a system that has made luxury available to the general public? ... There is not much left that would prompt a citizen of the West to start a revolution. The weltschmerz has passed, the injustices are a thing of the past, freedom has been won, but ideals they no longer have. Only the frustrations remain - but they are short-lived and depend on the context. The Occupy movement was an expression of those frustrations. But the movement perfectly exposes the hypocrisy: Down with the banks and big companies, but secretly we race to the supermarkets to snap up the bargains!"
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All available articles from » Iulian Leca
Corriere della Sera - Italy | Monday, 21. November 2011
The Spanish Socialists suffered massive losses in the parliamentary elections, obtaining just 29 percent of the vote. The movement of the Indignant also played a part in the Socialist debacle, writes the liberal-conservative daily Corriere della Sera: » more
The Spanish Socialists suffered massive losses in the parliamentary elections, obtaining just 29 percent of the vote. The movement of the Indignant also played a part in the Socialist debacle, writes the liberal-conservative daily Corriere della Sera: "Inexperience, the tendency to improvise and Zapatero's U-turn on tackling the crisis explain the negative judgement pronounced by many Spaniards who didn't belong to the Indignant movement against his rule. But it's obvious that the centre-left governments are no longer under threat just from the traditional parties of the far left who foster the rules of democracy, but also from movements that don't respect these rules any more or exploit them opportunistically. ... They wield their power by abstaining from voting. The Indignant sent a clear message to the ruling Socialists: If you carry on like this we will ensure your defeat."
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All available articles from » Michele Salvati
Frankfurter Rundschau - Germany | Wednesday, 16. November 2011
The clearing of Zuccotti Park using brute force only confirms the success of the Occupy movement, writes the liberal daily Frankfurter Rundschau: » more
The clearing of Zuccotti Park using brute force only confirms the success of the Occupy movement, writes the liberal daily Frankfurter Rundschau: "This hefty reaction on the part of the authorities to the Occupy Wall Street movement must be seen as an indication of how brilliant its strategy has been. The demonstrators have used public space to engage in a peaceful discussion about society's destiny. That was exactly the role of the Polis in ancient Greece - to engender democracy. That this is no longer possible in capitalism's modern metropolises makes clear how far removed they have become from their allegedly democratic ideals. That alone is a triumph for Occupy."
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All available articles from » Sebastian Moll
The Guardian - United Kingdom | Wednesday, 16. November 2011
The Occupy activists are now called on to keep the debate on capitalism alive, writes the left-liberal daily The Guardian: » more
The Occupy activists are now called on to keep the debate on capitalism alive, writes the left-liberal daily The Guardian: "The movement now faces the challenge of continuing what it started. It must engage in a battle of ideas, not just spaces, and needs to seek fresh ways to keep the debate going. It will survive if it does. It will fail if it becomes co-opted or marginalised. But its chances are unwittingly boosted by the likes of Mr Bloomberg. A backlash was growing yesterday, with the city comptroller John Liu saying there seemed to have been no compelling reason for the action. The mayor said every New Yorker had the right to speak out. But it seems National Public Radio, Associated Press and the New York Daily News, all of whose reporters were arrested, don't have the right to report it."
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Delo - Slovenia | Wednesday, 16. November 2011
Hundreds of police officers cleared the demonstrators from Zuccotti Park near Wall Street in New York on Tuesday. The daily Delo has harsh words for the police action and draws parallels with dictatorial regimes: » more
Hundreds of police officers cleared the demonstrators from Zuccotti Park near Wall Street in New York on Tuesday. The daily Delo has harsh words for the police action and draws parallels with dictatorial regimes: "The police's violent treatment of the peaceful demonstrators has exposed the other side of the supposedly freest country in the world. The Democratic government reacted to the demonstrators' call for a true right to free elections with such brutality and violence that it was worthy of the former regime in Tripoli and the current one in Syria."
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All available articles from » Boris Cibej
Dagens Nyheter - Sweden | Wednesday, 16. November 2011
Surveys indicate that only a third of US citizens support the demands of the Occupy movement. This is mainly a consequence of the activists' outdated rhetoric, which should be abandoned as it fails to address the unresolved problems of the financial crisis, writes the liberal daily Dagens Nyheter: » more
Surveys indicate that only a third of US citizens support the demands of the Occupy movement. This is mainly a consequence of the activists' outdated rhetoric, which should be abandoned as it fails to address the unresolved problems of the financial crisis, writes the liberal daily Dagens Nyheter: "One important reason why the movement has failed to take root among the general population is that it lacks both leaders and a programme that appeals to normal people. The protests started in the middle of September and an appeal published at the time on the website occupywallst.org is a good illustration of their rhetoric: workers should 'not just strike, but bring their workplaces under control and organise them democratically'. The same document stated that 'the state and the economy are two sides of the same oppressive power structure'. Rather than encouraging people to set up their tents such messages will scare them off. Especially in the US."
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WOZ - Die Wochenzeitung - Switzerland | Thursday, 10. November 2011
The city of Zurich today demanded that the Swiss activists of the Occupy movement clear their camp in the city's Lindenhof district. The left-wing weekly WOZ calls on the activists to resist the calls and heighten their profile in doing so: » more
The city of Zurich today demanded that the Swiss activists of the Occupy movement clear their camp in the city's Lindenhof district. The left-wing weekly WOZ calls on the activists to resist the calls and heighten their profile in doing so: "Neither the leftist groups, nor the NGOs nor the unions have joined the protest or even networked with it. ... The Swiss branch of the Occupy movement has tried to please everyone: the city, the police, the bankers. But now it has the chance to create its own identity and become more than just an appendage of the international protest movement. Now it can make a place for itself, above and beyond the realm of permitted - or even desired - protest. That also means having the courage to engage in civil disobedience, all the more so if the protesters are to be evicted from Lindenhof."
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All available articles from » Carlos Hanimann
Le Monde - France | Monday, 7. November 2011
The departing Greek Prime Minister Giorgos Papandreou decided not to risk letting the people vote in a referendum on the EU's austerity plans. But as the Occupy protests are demonstrating, Europe should get used to people having their say, writes intellectual historian François Cusset in the left-liberal daily Le Monde: » more
The departing Greek Prime Minister Giorgos Papandreou decided not to risk letting the people vote in a referendum on the EU's austerity plans. But as the Occupy protests are demonstrating, Europe should get used to people having their say, writes intellectual historian François Cusset in the left-liberal daily Le Monde: "Even if today's politicians have a decidedly sceptical attitude to democracy, there hasn't been a movement for ages, perhaps for half a century, that could put together a global protest in so short a time. ... Together the people have taken steps to put an end to the breakdown of society. Not a solution to our financial problems or to the discord sown by the crisis, but the start of a solution to the old problem of the democracy deficit. ... It is high time that Europe learned its lesson from the US, after that of the Arab Spring, and reappraised its idea of what the people can achieve."
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All available articles from » François Cusset
El Mundo - Spain | Friday, 28. October 2011
The election authority in Madrid on Thursday stipulated certain streets where no demonstrations may be staged in the days leading up to the Spanish parliamentary elections on November 20. Puerta del Sol Square, a symbolic location for the Movement of the Indignant, is included in the list. The conservative daily El Mundo welcomes the decision and urges that it be implemented: » more
The election authority in Madrid on Thursday stipulated certain streets where no demonstrations may be staged in the days leading up to the Spanish parliamentary elections on November 20. Puerta del Sol Square, a symbolic location for the Movement of the Indignant, is included in the list. The conservative daily El Mundo welcomes the decision and urges that it be implemented: "As everybody knows the Square was packed with demonstrators the day before the regional and local elections [in May] even though the election authority had expressly forbidden any kind of demonstration for that day. The decision that has now been take regarding November 20 should prompt the Movement of the Indignant to act responsible and observe law and order this time. But it also forces the authorities and the police to be vigilant in enforcing the law, particularly after having failed so miserably in the elections of May 22."
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Heti Világgazdaság - Hungary | Monday, 24. October 2011
Occupy Wall Street, the movement against the power of the financial markets and social injustice that started in the US and has spread across the globe, is already a huge success, social scientist Immanuel Wallerstein of Yale University writes in the left-liberal weekly Heti Világgazdaság: » more
Occupy Wall Street, the movement against the power of the financial markets and social injustice that started in the US and has spread across the globe, is already a huge success, social scientist Immanuel Wallerstein of Yale University writes in the left-liberal weekly Heti Világgazdaság: "The Occupy Wall Street movement - for now it is a movement - is the most important political happening in the United States since the uprisings in 1968, whose direct descendant or continuation it is. Why it started in the United States when it did - and not three days, three months, three years earlier or later - we'll never know for sure. ... Acutely increasing economic pain not only for the truly poverty-stricken but for an ever-growing segment of the working poor (otherwise known as the 'middle class'); incredible exaggeration (exploitation, greed) of the wealthiest one per cent of the U.S. population ('Wall Street'); the example of angry upsurges around the world (the 'Arab spring', the Spanish indignados, the Chilean students, the Wisconsin trade unions, and a long list of others). It doesn't really matter what the spark was that ignited the fire. It started."
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All available articles from » Immanuel Wallerstein
România Liberă - Romania | Tuesday, 18. October 2011
In Bucharest only around 100 people gathered to protest against the power of the financial markets on Saturday. The daily România Liberă asks why so few Romanians took part in the global day of protest: » more
In Bucharest only around 100 people gathered to protest against the power of the financial markets on Saturday. The daily România Liberă asks why so few Romanians took part in the global day of protest: "The main reason is without doubt that Romania's problems are different from those of the West. There, the middle class is seeing the standard of living it takes for granted deteriorate. Here, on the other hand, poverty is still rife. ... Romania has problems that barely play a role in the West and that also fed the Arab revolutions: kleptocracy has become the state doctrine; the local mafia clans made up of former secret service agents receive political protection and own a large part of the country's capital. ... The big risk is that, like in Bulgaria, we seek to lay the blame on ethnic groups or quickly fall back on prejudices. ... This only consolidates the kleptocratic system that gives the mafia clans moral authority and makes the ex-secret service agents and their families ever richer."
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All available articles from » Lucian Davidescu
Neue Zürcher Zeitung - Switzerland | Monday, 17. October 2011
In demonstrating against the financial sector and the capitalist economic order, the global "Occupy" protesters forget that they too benefit from the system, the liberal conservative daily Neue Zürcher Zeitung admonishes: » more
In demonstrating against the financial sector and the capitalist economic order, the global "Occupy" protesters forget that they too benefit from the system, the liberal conservative daily Neue Zürcher Zeitung admonishes: "The citizens realise that the party will end one day - and the costs of the expensive wine will not necessarily be borne by those who drank the most. In so doing they refuse to see that they have also profited, as small-time savers, home-owners or welfare recipients. Particularly in Switzerland, whose tax equity system means that those who are now in the pillory have done more than their fair share for the redistribution of wealth. If both sides cannot overcome their voicelessness and ignorance, the resilience of social cohesion will become the vital question facing Western democracies."
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All available articles from » Markus Spillmann
El País - Spain | Sunday, 16. October 2011
Commenting on the international day of protest against the banks' abuse of power on October 15, the left-liberal daily El País underlines the novelty of the movement: » more
Commenting on the international day of protest against the banks' abuse of power on October 15, the left-liberal daily El País underlines the novelty of the movement: "This global dimension is what makes the 15-O day of protest special, something that has never existed before. For the first time a citizens' initiative has managed to coordinate demonstrations at so many different and distant locations. Unlike previous anti-globalisation protests held at places where the international decision-makers meet this is a global reaction that calls into question the global handling of the financial crisis that has led to a serious global depression. The demands of the 15-O movement are backed by a majority of the public at a difficult point in history when the distribution of the burden and the sacrifices is being perceived as unjust."
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Lidové noviny - Czech Republic | Monday, 17. October 2011
The hundreds of thousands of people who protested in around 80 countries on Saturday against the power of the financial sector are unlike other demonstrators, writes the conservative daily Lidové noviny: » more
The hundreds of thousands of people who protested in around 80 countries on Saturday against the power of the financial sector are unlike other demonstrators, writes the conservative daily Lidové noviny: "No, these protesters don't want to gain something. They represent a generation that knows it could lose everything. These are people who are not particularly ideological, but they are conscious of their status and suspect that things can only go downhill. ... Essentially, however, there isn't much they can change: the West is growing poorer and countries like China are growing richer. In the past three years the number of people in the US who didn't have enough money for food rose from 9 to 19 percent. In China it fell from 16 to 6 percent."
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All available articles from » Zbyněk Petráček
Il Sole 24 Ore - Italy | Sunday, 16. October 2011
In Rome there was rioting on the fringes of the Occupy protests which drew more than 100,000 protesters. Italy's democratic deficit is responsible for this anomaly, explains the business paper Il Sole 24 Ore: » more
In Rome there was rioting on the fringes of the Occupy protests which drew more than 100,000 protesters. Italy's democratic deficit is responsible for this anomaly, explains the business paper Il Sole 24 Ore: "A mature democracy knows how to deal with violence. It knows how to restrain it and if necessary intervene ruthlessly against it, but above all it knows how to pre-empt it. The barbaric scenes in Rome on Saturday raise the question of whether Italy can still be considered one of those democracies. ... It is as if a great black abyss was opening up in Italy, creating a pull that thanks to a resistant subculture on the one hand and political weakness on the other threatens to swallow up everything. ... Today we experience once again how painful Italy's anomaly is in cultural and political terms. The nation is weak and will therefore inevitably become a rallying point for the violent, all those who want to avenge themselves on Western society."
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All available articles from » Stefano Folli
Diário de Notícias - Portugal | Sunday, 16. October 2011
The Portuguese version of Saturday's march of the Indignant, in which almost 1,000 cities worldwide took part, was just the first of many such protests in Portugal, writes the daily Diário de Notícias: » more
The Portuguese version of Saturday's march of the Indignant, in which almost 1,000 cities worldwide took part, was just the first of many such protests in Portugal, writes the daily Diário de Notícias: "The terrible measures announced by Prime Minister Passos Coelho last Thursday and his detailed explanations of the state budget as of today will doubtless trigger more all-party protests: like those at the weekend or those by the 'lost generation' six months ago. ... But the two big trade unions will also call general strikes. ... The strikes and demonstrations are - quite apart from their constitutional legitimacy - not only more than understandable but also socially useful, provided they remain peaceful, in accordance with national tradition. Useful not just as an expression of the citizens' discontent but also as a barometer for mood and contradictions that will allow the government to assess the situation in the country and the impact of the implemented measures."
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Wiener Zeitung - Austria | Wednesday, 12. October 2011
Social movements in 79 countries are calling for people to join the Occupy Day protests against social injustice, lack of freedom and the dismantling of democracy. The protest prompts foreign policy expert Alexander von der Decken to demand democratic reform in the state-owned liberal daily Wiener Zeitung: » more
Social movements in 79 countries are calling for people to join the Occupy Day protests against social injustice, lack of freedom and the dismantling of democracy. The protest prompts foreign policy expert Alexander von der Decken to demand democratic reform in the state-owned liberal daily Wiener Zeitung: "The emergence of political emancipation in the Middle East is beginning to penetrate Western societies. Democracy is getting old, its mechanisms no longer reach out to people. Increasingly interconnected social networks are producing a growing democratisation of the individual who now represents his own demands. It is only a matter of time before this leads to worldwide solidarity. A new, exciting era is dawning. The question is whether politics with its traditional ways of thinking will still play a role. Democracy urgently needs to be updated."
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All available articles from » Alexander von der Decken
Kauppalehti - Finland | Monday, 10. October 2011
For weeks supporters of the Occupy Wall Street movement have been demonstrating for more social justice in the US. If the economic slump continues its ranks will be strengthened, the business newspaper Kauppalehti predicts: » more
For weeks supporters of the Occupy Wall Street movement have been demonstrating for more social justice in the US. If the economic slump continues its ranks will be strengthened, the business newspaper Kauppalehti predicts: "You can't compare the annoyed Americans with the revolutionaries of the Arab Spring but the people of the Occupy Wall Street movement should not be underestimated. They include people with no jobs, with low incomes, trade union members and average Americans who are losing faith in the American dream. A cynical social Darwinist would describe them as losers. But history shows that this group can wield more power than a successful individualist. ... The numbers of the discontented will no doubt grow if the US economy doesn't pick up."
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The Irish Times - Ireland | Tuesday, 4. October 2011
The protest of young people against the machinations on Wall Street shows how part of the new generation thinks, writes the liberal daily The Irish Times: » more
The protest of young people against the machinations on Wall Street shows how part of the new generation thinks, writes the liberal daily The Irish Times: "Consciously modelling themselves on the leaderless protesters of Cairo's Tahrir Square and the 'indignados' of Madrid and Athens, they have slowly garnered support around the country. There have been spin-off marches and occupations bubbling up in Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston and Washington. The movement is unlikely to shake America, or even last, but its emergence, a bit like a 'flash crowd' event generated off the internet, and its inchoate, anti-ideological quality are perhaps a good barometer of the times and of alienation of parts of a new tech-savvy generation. And the class war between rich and poor that the groups diagnose as raging in recession-hit America is a fact of life."
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Público - Spain | Wednesday, 3. August 2011
The Madrid police cleared the main gathering place of the protest movement of the "indignant", Puerta del Sol Square, on Tuesday. Although the demonstrators are very angry the majority still favour a non-violent course. The left-leaning daily Público prints an appeal by the movement explaining why: » more
The Madrid police cleared the main gathering place of the protest movement of the "indignant", Puerta del Sol Square, on Tuesday. Although the demonstrators are very angry the majority still favour a non-violent course. The left-leaning daily Público prints an appeal by the movement explaining why: "The strength of the March 15 Movement lies (among other things) in its ability to incorporate people from all walks of life, to take the initiative and be unpredictable. ... Many different people can take part in non-violent initiatives, while only a very specific type of person takes part in violent protests (male, young, with papers, etc.). We want to reaffirm both in our form of organisation and the way we act on the street the characteristics of our DNA: horizontality, openness, multiplicity. Losing the initiative, losing our plurality, losing our unpredictability would mean losing our power. Non-violence has been and remains our strength and our radicality."
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La Stampa - Italy | Wednesday, 3. August 2011
Since last week tens of thousands of people in Israel have taken to the streets to protest the rising cost of living and social inequality in the largest demonstrations in the country in 40 years. Israeli author Abraham B. Jehoschua warns Israel's indignant to take the path of parliamentary democracy in the liberal daily La Stampa: » more
Since last week tens of thousands of people in Israel have taken to the streets to protest the rising cost of living and social inequality in the largest demonstrations in the country in 40 years. Israeli author Abraham B. Jehoschua warns Israel's indignant to take the path of parliamentary democracy in the liberal daily La Stampa: "Israel is neither Syria nor Egypt, nations devoid of all political or ideological structure that could steer the protests and the democratic 'revolution' in the right direction. Israel doesn't need a Tahrir Square. We have political parties with long years of experience, and the members of the workers' party Avoda as well as the United Arab List and the left-wing party Meretz-Yachad all sitting in the Kneset know very well what the country's social problems are. They are making serious economic proposals for combating the social inequality and creating ideological foundations for sustaining the social welfare state without plunging into a financial disaster like Greece or Spain. Unfortunately the organisers of the protests don't really support the democratic left and are still undecided as to whether they want to take political action in the face of the next elections."
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Público - Spain | Friday, 22. July 2011
The Andalusian regional parliament passed a series of regulations aimed at ensuring greater transparency on Thursday that were proposed by the movement of the "indignant" which emerged from the protests of May 15. But the vote demonstrated that the conservatives still haven't learned their lesson in true democracy, writes the left-leaning daily Público: » more
The Andalusian regional parliament passed a series of regulations aimed at ensuring greater transparency on Thursday that were proposed by the movement of the "indignant" which emerged from the protests of May 15. But the vote demonstrated that the conservatives still haven't learned their lesson in true democracy, writes the left-leaning daily Público: "The MPs may not have completed all the exercises set for them by the May 15th Movement, but at least they did some of them. Like eager pupils bent on passing the new subject 'The Quality of Democracy', the leftist pupils wrote their exam yesterday. And even if they didn't obtain the top grade they are not far off a 'B'. Meanwhile their classmates on the right disrupted the class with their interruptions, insults and lies and refused to write the sentence 'I may hold only one office'. As so often, the rowdies of the class sabotaged the exam just because they didn't like a couple of the exercises. It won't be an easy task to make decent pupils of them."
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All available articles from » Antonio Avendaño
Le Monde - France | Friday, 24. June 2011
The protests on the squares of Greece and Spain show no sign of letting up. More must be done to integrate the youths into society, writes the left-liberal daily Le Monde: » more
The protests on the squares of Greece and Spain show no sign of letting up. More must be done to integrate the youths into society, writes the left-liberal daily Le Monde: "Just like in the Arab World, what we're seeing with these protests are spontaneous movements without a leader. However in contrast to their Arab friends, the 'Indignant' Greeks and Spaniards do not call the governing system itself into question but its mode of operation. They don't want to smash it, they want an end to exclusion. The movement at the Puerta del Sol doesn't call itself a rebellion or a revolution. Its election cry was 'Democracia Real, Ya! (real democracy now). In Spain almost half of all youths are unemployed, and even those with a university education are no longer the exception. ... The real challenge facing Europe with its ageing society and its depleted systems is to give these youths if not economic prospects, then at least political ones."
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All available articles from » Sylvie Kauffmann
La Vanguardia - Spain | Monday, 20. June 2011
More than 200,000 demonstrators gathered in Spain's cities on Sunday to protest the Pact for the Euro and demand more say. The time for more direct forms of democracy has come, writes the daily La Vanguardia: » more
More than 200,000 demonstrators gathered in Spain's cities on Sunday to protest the Pact for the Euro and demand more say. The time for more direct forms of democracy has come, writes the daily La Vanguardia: "The Indignant believe that our democracy is now so entrenched that we can allow ourselves a greater degree of liberty. The closed lists, party dictatorship, the D'Hondt method and all those other corsets which exist to ensure that Spain doesn't relapse are superfluous. The young Spaniards who were born after Franco's death are neither afraid of a putsch from the Right nor share the desire for revenge of the Left. They want true democracy. ... To ensure more democracy the citizens should represent themselves as far as possible. In sum this means that all those eligible to vote should vote on a monthly or weekly basis via computer not on who should represent us but on each of the important issues that affect our daily lives."
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All available articles from » Luis Racionero
El País - Spain | Thursday, 16. June 2011
There was rioting ahead of the Catalan regional parliament elections in Barcelona on Wednesday when demonstrators tried to prevent members of parliament from entering the building by force. But the protest of "the Indignant", the 15-M movement, is still pacifist, the liberal daily El País explains: » more
There was rioting ahead of the Catalan regional parliament elections in Barcelona on Wednesday when demonstrators tried to prevent members of parliament from entering the building by force. But the protest of "the Indignant", the 15-M movement, is still pacifist, the liberal daily El País explains: "Sit on the floor and raise your arms. This is the motto. If a police officer comes to drive you away or hit you, react peacefully. The message couldn't be clearer. Anyone who has set up camp or demonstrated in the 15-M movement knows that violence is repudiated. The peaceful stance is in the movement's DNA. What happened yesterday is doesn't fit in with this. ... To say the 15-M movement has turned violent, as we have heard in various talk shows and discussion panels, is like saying that all politicians are pigs. A horizontal, open and peaceful movement can't control everyone who comes to its protest campaigns."
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All available articles from » Joseba Elola
Correio da Manhã - Portugal | Tuesday, 14. June 2011
Around 100 young Portuguese laid down flat on the main square in Lisbon last Sunday to draw attention to their poor prospects on the labour market. The tabloid Correio da Manhã sympathises with their cause: » more
Around 100 young Portuguese laid down flat on the main square in Lisbon last Sunday to draw attention to their poor prospects on the labour market. The tabloid Correio da Manhã sympathises with their cause: "They are protesting at the lack of social justice and have also been called the 'lost generation'. A look at the statistics confirms their plight: already one in four is unemployed, and that will soon rise to one in three. They are also the main victims of the low-wage trend. Even if they manage to find work they are poorly paid. There are the lucky graduates who have a job. But they earn less than half of what their colleagues with the same qualification were paid five years ago. In a country that has been growing poorer for ten years now and is one of the few in Europe that is in a recession, there is little hope of a better life. This will probably be the first generation that has lower living standards than their parents."
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All available articles from » Armando Esteves Pereira
Blog Ivan Rioufol - France | Friday, 10. June 2011
In several European countries the social democratic parties have attempted to take credit for the protests of the young generation as a confirmation of leftist values. That's wrong, writes Ivan Rioufol in his blog for the conservative daily Le Figaro: » more
In several European countries the social democratic parties have attempted to take credit for the protests of the young generation as a confirmation of leftist values. That's wrong, writes Ivan Rioufol in his blog for the conservative daily Le Figaro: "The youth is not about to join forces with those who disdained it. The Left wants to regain some of its lost aura by believing it's on the same wavelength as the outraged, that sacrificed generation protesting here and there in Europe. In fact these insurrections which are currently losing steam in Spain and France, are more in line with the the rise of populism which maligns this same Left and its pseudo progressives. The Indignant or Outraged, so called in reference to the superb title of an insipid, silly book by Stéphane Hessel (Time for Outrage!), are a symptom of a crisis of confidence in the world of politics. And incidentally, the Socialists have just been given a lashing both in Spain and Portugal."
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Le Point - France | Thursday, 9. June 2011
Indignant Greeks and Spaniards continue to demonstrate against austerity measures and youth unemployment. But their protests cannot change our economic system, writes Claude Imbert in the liberal conservative weekly Le Point: » more
Indignant Greeks and Spaniards continue to demonstrate against austerity measures and youth unemployment. But their protests cannot change our economic system, writes Claude Imbert in the liberal conservative weekly Le Point: "Yes, popular indignation is being voiced at the parading of the billionaires and the begging of the homeless, against the excesses of the elites and the lack of security in the suburbs. And, let's not forget, against the state's inability to protect its citizens. Failures that eat away at people's trust in democracy. A dizzying state of affairs! ... Yes, the Indignant still dream of the past with its disastrous illusions. But these dreams ... have been dashed against the inexorable promiscuity of globalisation. Which rich nation can turn its back on the embrace and benefits offered by the world, without saying farewell to its own riches? But the world does not want to change its system. Then reform it? It's mulling it over, amid the cacophony of competing desires."
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To Ethnos - Greece | Monday, 6. June 2011
It is now two weeks since the protests of the "indignant" began at Greece's major squares. Spain and Portugal have also witnessed this type of protest. This is a pan-European movement, the left-liberal daily To Ethnos concludes: » more
It is now two weeks since the protests of the "indignant" began at Greece's major squares. Spain and Portugal have also witnessed this type of protest. This is a pan-European movement, the left-liberal daily To Ethnos concludes: "Slowly but surely a pan-European popular movement of indignation is forming, spurred on by the problematic economic and social reality that is taking hold in one EU country after another, particularly the members of the Eurozone. ... The message is simple: 'We can no longer bear it'. It is getting through not just to the national governments. The more the movement spreads, the greater the number of recipients of the message. It is increasingly aimed - and voiced by more and more people - at all those who determine the direction of the EU and its people. In this way a pan-European protest movement is forming that transcends national borders and demands of the EU that it take their concerns into consideration. ... This is a development that can only have a positive impact."
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To Ethnos - Greece | Thursday, 2. June 2011
For more than a week now the "indignant citizens" movement has been demonstrating in Athens against the government's drastic austerity measures. The protests are a symptom of a major crisis of the political system in which the great majority of citizens have lost faith in the parties, writes the left-liberal daily To Ethnos: » more
For more than a week now the "indignant citizens" movement has been demonstrating in Athens against the government's drastic austerity measures. The protests are a symptom of a major crisis of the political system in which the great majority of citizens have lost faith in the parties, writes the left-liberal daily To Ethnos: "Already the parties are discussing whether this phenomenon represents a threat to the political system, while others believe it is just an insignificant expression of anger - without political weight or serious repercussions. ... The people who have gathered at Athens' main square reject the entire structure of the system: the parties, trade unions, media and institutions. They are making the point that they won't vote for the [socialist ruling party] Pasok, or the [liberal-conservative opposition party] Nea Dimokratia, nor for the communist KKE party or the radical left coalition Syriza. This is why the parties are not taking a positive view of the demonstrators."
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All available articles from » Giorgos Delastik
Blog Pitsirikos - Greece | Thursday, 26. May 2011
Several thousands of Greeks demonstrated against the government's austerity measures on Athens' Syntagma Square and other main squares across the country on Wednesday. Encouraged by the Spanish protest movement, they plan to gather again today. This is a movement of free citizens, Pitsirikos writes jubilantly in his blog: » more
Several thousands of Greeks demonstrated against the government's austerity measures on Athens' Syntagma Square and other main squares across the country on Wednesday. Encouraged by the Spanish protest movement, they plan to gather again today. This is a movement of free citizens, Pitsirikos writes jubilantly in his blog: "Anyone who had something to say took the microphone and said it. Thousands of this country's people protested on the Syntagma and other squares without party flags. Free people, at last. I could write for hours about what I saw, heard and felt yesterday on Syntagma Square. But I won't. No party, no trade union, no publisher, no journalist and no blogger can claim this movement, so unusual for our country, as their own. It is a free movement by people who all have equal rights. I was lucky enough to be there."
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Público - Portugal | Tuesday, 24. May 2011
Hundreds of young Portuguese have set up camp on the Rossio, the main square in Lisbon, in a show of solidarity with the demonstrators in Spain, but also to draw attention to their own goals in the run-up to the parliamentary elections in early June. The youth protests are spreading, comments the daily Público gleefully: » more
Hundreds of young Portuguese have set up camp on the Rossio, the main square in Lisbon, in a show of solidarity with the demonstrators in Spain, but also to draw attention to their own goals in the run-up to the parliamentary elections in early June. The youth protests are spreading, comments the daily Público gleefully: "What do these young people want? ... True democracy, they say. Apart from minor variations the slogans in the different cities are all very similar. They are funny, challenging and clear expressions of protest. ... Some slogans hark back to those of the May 1968 protests. ... The desire to avoid any associations with political parties sometimes renders the message of the protest rather diffuse and vague. But one thing is perfectly clear: the demonstrators don't feel represented by the politicians - either in their own country or in Europe. ... They don't like or trust any of the parties. They're not calling for elections or for a boycott of the elections. They realise that elections won't change what they want to change. Whoever wins the election - they are determined not to let us slumber. And that's the way it should be."
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All available articles from » José Vítor Malheiros
Süddeutsche Zeitung - Germany | Tuesday, 24. May 2011
If the dissatisfied Spaniards want to bring about change they must show initiative and put the knowledge gained abroad to good use, writes the left-liberal daily Süddeutsche Zeitung: » more
If the dissatisfied Spaniards want to bring about change they must show initiative and put the knowledge gained abroad to good use, writes the left-liberal daily Süddeutsche Zeitung: "One of the protest movement's major demands is that elections be open to independent candidates. Many banners at Puerta del Sol hold up Iceland as a model, where the crash gave birth to a clever political movement. But until such a movement comes about many of the dissatisfied prefer not even to go the polls - or they vote for a regional party: in times of crisis the closest haven is under the local church tower. But they are mistaken, because the extravagances of such spreading regionalism are one of the reasons for Spain's economic woes. ... There has long been a new wave of emigration to German, Italian, British or French firms. But only the young Spaniards can reinvent their country with the knowledge gleaned away from home."
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All available articles from » Sebastian Schoepp
Libération - France | Tuesday, 24. May 2011
The youth movement at Puerta del Sol could well spread to other European countries, writes the left-liberal daily Libération: » more
The youth movement at Puerta del Sol could well spread to other European countries, writes the left-liberal daily Libération: "Democracy was born on the marketplace, that is in the public spaces of antique city-states, where the citizens could gather and discuss issues ... that concerned the community as a whole. The 'indignant' of the Puerta del Sol are now repeating this seminal scene in Madrid. ... They know that they will soon be evacuated by the police. The demonstrators' tents and open-air kitchens will soon disappear, everything will be swept away. But the reasons for this spontaneous, ground-breaking movement will remain intact. And it could rapidly be translated into numerous European languages if the governments of the Union, both on the Left and on the Right, have nothing more to offer their citizens than the never-ending prospect of austerity."
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All available articles from » Nicolas Demorand
De Tijd - Belgium | Monday, 23. May 2011
The Socialist's drubbing in Spanish local elections is a consequence of the austerity measures being protested on Spain's streets, writes the business paper De Tijd: » more
The Socialist's drubbing in Spanish local elections is a consequence of the austerity measures being protested on Spain's streets, writes the business paper De Tijd: "The protest against the austerity policy in Spain has gained a lot of momentum, but there are similar protests in Greece and Ireland too. And Portugal will doubtless see plenty of protest in its early parliamentary elections due to take be held on June 5. They all have exactly the same complaint as the educated masses who led the protests in Tunisia and Egypt: the lack of perspectives for the future and a dignified existence. That this phenomenon has reached Europe certainly gives pause for thought. ... For in the rich northern half of Europe an egoistic movement has already emerged to undermine solidarity in Europe and save what can be saved for itself. ... The so-called rich north should not entertain any illusions. There too and elsewhere, people will stream on to the streets to protest if inequality grows and social cohesion breaks down."
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All available articles from » Jean Vanempten
La Stampa - Italy | Monday, 23. May 2011
The results of the Spanish local and regional elections should be interpreted first and foremost as a protest against the ruling Socialists, comments the liberal daily La Stampa: » more
The results of the Spanish local and regional elections should be interpreted first and foremost as a protest against the ruling Socialists, comments the liberal daily La Stampa: "Spain (like Italy before it) has used the ballot to send the message that the time has come to change course. What's unclear now is what the new course should be. ... This is all hardly surprising. Like all European politicians who were in power when the economic crisis exploded, Zapatero has increasingly lost his shine and popularity with the people. ... But even if the socialist era is evidently drawing to a close this doesn't leave the way clear for the conservative People's Party. Not every socialist loss works to the PP's advantage."
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All available articles from » Boris Biancheri
El País - Spain | Friday, 20. May 2011
Spain's electoral commission has declared the protests slated for the weekend illegal, saying they could hinder Sunday's local elections. For days thousands of demonstrators have been protesting at the squares of major Spanish cities against unemployment, corruption and the majority voting system. The left-liberal daily El País disagrees with the ban: » more
Spain's electoral commission has declared the protests slated for the weekend illegal, saying they could hinder Sunday's local elections. For days thousands of demonstrators have been protesting at the squares of major Spanish cities against unemployment, corruption and the majority voting system. The left-liberal daily El País disagrees with the ban: "The rights of the demonstrators should have been beyond all doubt, even if the electoral commission took a different view despite the precedent set by a 2010 constitutional court ruling which validated a demonstration under similar circumstances. The recent clearing of the Puerta del Sol Square [in Madrid] was not just an unforgivable mistake but also counter-productive. The same goes for the ban, ultimately without consequence, imposed by the Madrid electoral commission. That the demonstrators at Puerta del Sol were unable to express a clear political position doesn't deprive them of their condition as a symptom that the parties would do well to interpret."
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Público - Spain | Tuesday, 17. May 2011
Several thousand people took to the streets in Spain to protest mass unemployment and government austerity measures. They also accused the country's politicians of incompetence and corruption. The left-leaning daily Público warns the politicians not to grow too distant from the people: » more
Several thousand people took to the streets in Spain to protest mass unemployment and government austerity measures. They also accused the country's politicians of incompetence and corruption. The left-leaning daily Público warns the politicians not to grow too distant from the people: "A telling statistic: May 15 brought more people to the streets than the trade union demonstrations of May 1. It's good news that the citizens' discontent is finally translating into peaceful protest, because we've had years of critical resignation. But the growing distance between politicians and the citizens is worrying. May 15 is not the only sign that this democracy is ill, that it won't survive if the injustice, corruption and impunity continue. The fact that politicians are named as one of the country's main problems in opinion polls is further evidence that the parties cannot afford to ignore if they don't want society to dispense with them entirely."
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Blog Antes pelo Contrário - Portugal | Saturday, 19. March 2011
Stéphane Hessel's book Indignez-vous! (Get Angry) is a bestseller in France and many other countries, having sold 1.3 million copies in France alone. Now the former resistance fighter is being accused of anti-Semitism. Daniel Oliveira finds the allegations appalling in his blog Antes pelo Contrário for the weekly magazine Expresso: » more
Stéphane Hessel's book Indignez-vous! (Get Angry) is a bestseller in France and many other countries, having sold 1.3 million copies in France alone. Now the former resistance fighter is being accused of anti-Semitism. Daniel Oliveira finds the allegations appalling in his blog Antes pelo Contrário for the weekly magazine Expresso: "One of the many causes this 93-year-old national hero supports is the Palestinians' right to their own state and peaceful resistance. He backs Israeli peace activists as well as Palestinians who are committed to the path of non-violence. And he has called for Israel to be boycotted until it recognises an independent and sustainable state. That was enough to prompt the anti-Semitism 'watchdog' organisations to launch a campaign against Stéphane Hessel. Allegations of anti-Semitism have become an instrument of blackmail for preventing any kind of criticism of the State of Israel. This is a despicable way of suppressing democratic debate."
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All available articles from » Daniel Oliveira
Der Freitag - Germany | Monday, 17. January 2011
In his best-selling book Indignez-Vous! (Get indignant!) the former diplomat and resistance fighter Stéphane Hessel calls on the French to be more socially active and fight for their values and ideals. Jakob Augstein, publisher of the leftist weekly Der Freitag, compares the debate in France with that triggered in Germany by Thilo Sarrazin's book: » more
In his best-selling book Indignez-Vous! (Get indignant!) the former diplomat and resistance fighter Stéphane Hessel calls on the French to be more socially active and fight for their values and ideals. Jakob Augstein, publisher of the leftist weekly Der Freitag, compares the debate in France with that triggered in Germany by Thilo Sarrazin's book: "By French standards the print run for Hessel's book [900,000] is about as high as that for Thilo Sarrazin's book in Germany. And this book is also based on indignation. But what are the Germans indignant about? 'I don't want the country where my grandchildren and great-grandchildren live to be largely Muslim, with Turkish and Arab being spoken in many areas, women who wear headscarves and a daily rhythm dictated by the calls of the muezzin. … ' When Frenchman Hessel expresses concern about France's future he is worried about justice. Sarrazin's concern about Germany's future revolves around money and genes. … The French make a book about hope into a bestseller. The Germans do the same with a book full of malice."
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