"Colossal economic damage." Chemodanova on the protests in France and their consequences for the country

In Paris, mass protests continue, which are gaining momentum. About what is happening in France and why people go to the action, said the Chairman of the Belarusian party “White Rus” Olga Chemodanova on the air of the talk show “Budni” on “SBTV” and “Alfa Radio”, writes sb.by.

Olga Chemodanova noted that the protests began in September and over time their nature changes.

- At the very beginning, it was about young people — actually students, but also teachers. They protested, demanded better education and reformed the system. Now the protests are gaining political overtones, she said. Look at what has happened in the last few days. Shopkeepers are shutting down their retail facilities, in fact wrapping up shop windows with boards to avoid the clashes we see in Paris today. It is not only peaceful demonstrators who participate in the protest movement. Minors are involved in what is happening. We know this from our own experience: young people, including minors, can be managed through social media.

Even the protests in France in 2023, which took place over the pension reform, looked different:

- They proceeded quite civilized and were generally accompanied by the quiet work of the police and trade union associations. Now we see the complete opposite.

Olga Chemodanova believes that the French authorities need to think about how to stop the protest movement. At the same time, opposition parties are already using the events taking place in the country, expressing the opposite point of view.

- The same Marine Le Pen, who heads the National Rally party, commented on the situation, saying that the government pays absolutely no attention to the social issues of its citizens. It’s not just about reforming the education system. They want a higher standard of living, comfort and security in their country. All this is actually happening on the eve of the presidential elections, which will be held next April. And here, of course, the positions of the country’s leadership are extremely weak and losing.

If the action does not stop, the consequences, according to Olga Chemodanova, can be serious.

- This is a huge loss for the country, primarily economic. We understand that allowing events to develop further means actually allowing a revolution and the overthrow of the current government. - That's unacceptable. It is necessary to take measures to reach an agreement with the protesters and fulfill the requirements expressing the will of the citizens.

The talk show “Budney” is released on weekdays in the morning on “Alpha Radio”. Each issue discusses the most relevant topics from the life of the country and the world. Political scientists, scientists, public figures and journalists of leading media participate in the discussions. See the full version of the program on the VIDEOBEL.BY website and on the SBTV YouTube channel.