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pipeline

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https://www.infowars.com/pope-francis-declares-that-christian-fundamentalists-are-a-scourge/


Pope Francis Declares That Christian Fundamentalists Are “A Scourge”

The Pope considers millions upon millions of American Christians to be a plague that is infecting our planet

Michael Snyder | End Of The American Dream - December 3, 2019 67 Comments





Why does it seem like virtually everyone wants to attack Christian fundamentalists these days?
Two weeks ago, Pope Francis made some extremely controversial remarks, but those remarks really didn’t get much attention from the mainstream media. Of course if the Pope had targeted the LGBTQ community or some other favored group, it would have instantly made headlines all over the globe. But he didn’t. Instead, Pope Francis specifically attacked fundamentalists, and in today’s world that is considered to be perfectly okay. The following comes from the official transcript of the remarks that the Pope made on the 18th of November
Beware of the fundamentalist groups: everyone has his own. In Argentina too there is a little fundamentalist corner. And let us try, with fraternity, to go forward. Fundamentalism is a scourge and all religions have some kind of fundamentalist first cousin there, which forms a group.
Ostensibly, these remarks apply to fundamentalists from all religions. But by mentioning Argentina, the Pope made it exceedingly clear who his real target was.
There aren’t any “Muslim fundamentalists” or “Hindu fundamentalists” in Argentina. The fundamentalists that he was referring to are the Christian fundamentalists in Argentina, and in the very next sentence he denounced such people as “a scourge”.
Of course “a scourge” is another way of saying “a plague”, and what do we try to do to “a plague” when one breaks out?
That is something to think about.
And although the term “fundamentalist” is now sometimes used to refer to other religions, from the very beginning it has always been a Christian term. The following comes from the Encyclopedia Britannica
Christian fundamentalism, movement in American Protestantism that arose in the late 19th century in reaction to theological modernism, which aimed to revise traditional Christian beliefs to accommodate new developments in the natural and social sciences, especially the theory of biological evolution. In keeping with traditional Christian doctrines concerning biblical interpretation, the mission of Jesus Christ, and the role of the church in society, fundamentalists affirmed a core of Christian beliefs that included the historical accuracy of the Bible, the imminent and physical Second Coming of Jesus Christ, and Christ’s Virgin Birth, Resurrection (see resurrection), and Atonement (see atonement). Fundamentalism became a significant phenomenon in the early 20th century and remained an influential movement in American society into the 21st century.
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So what is a “Christian fundamentalist”?
Well, it is basically someone that believes the Bible is literally true, that believes that Jesus Christ died for our sins and rose again, and that believes that Jesus is coming back someday.
In other words, the Pope considers millions upon millions of American Christians to be a plague that is infecting our planet.
During those same remarks on the 18th of November, the Pope also once again pushed his “interreligious cooperation” agenda
As I said during the World Conference of Human Fraternity: “There is no alternative: we will either build the future together or there will not be a future. Religions, in particular, cannot renounce the urgent task of building bridges between peoples and cultures. The time has come when religions should more actively exert themselves, with courage and audacity, and without pretence, to help the human family deepen the capacity for reconciliation, the vision of hope and the concrete paths of peace” (4 February 2019). Our religious traditions are a necessary source of inspiration to foster a culture of encounter. It is fundamental for there to be interreligious cooperation, based on the promotion of sincere and respectful dialogue that goes towards unity without confusion, maintaining identities. But a unity that transcends the mere political pact.”
This Pope has become increasingly aggressive in his efforts to foster unity among the various major religions of the world. Last month, he held a much publicized meeting with Thailand’s supreme Buddhist patriarch Somdej Phra Maha Muneewong. That historic meeting was held at Bangkok’s famous Ratchabophit Temple, and the Pope met with the Buddhist patriarch directly in front of a 150-year-old gold statue of Buddha. The Pope even removed his shoes as a sign of respect for the Buddhist temple.
Pope Francis also brought a gift for the Buddhist patriarch. It was a copy of a document entitled “Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together” which the Pope and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar both signed in Abu Dhabi last February. The following is what Vatican News had to say about the exchange of this gift…
Pope Francis presented gifts to the Supreme Buddhist Patriarch, including a copy of the Abu Dhabi Declaration on “Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together”. The Pope signed the document together with the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, during his visit to the United Arab Emirates in February this year.
According to Cardinal Ayuso, including the Abu Dhabi Declaration among the gifts exchanged, highlighted the importance of spreading its message on Human Fraternity for peace and coexistence beyond the Middle East to Asia.
“Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together” sounds like an innocent title, but it is actually a loose blueprint for uniting the various religions of the world.
For example, at one point in the document it specifically says that the fact that there is such a diversity of religions in the world has been “willed by God in His wisdom”
“The pluralism and the diversity of religions, colour, sex, race and language are willed by God in His wisdom, through which He created human beings. This divine wisdom is the source from which the right to freedom of belief and the freedom to be different derives. Therefore, the fact that people are forced to adhere to a certain religion or culture must be rejected, as too the imposition of a cultural way of life that others do not accept”
In other words, this document is saying that God is pleased with all of the religions of the world and that they exist because it was His will for them to do so.
And the document concludes with an appeal for “reconciliation and fraternity” among the various religions of the world in order that “universal peace” may be achieved
In conclusion, our aspiration is that:
this Declaration may constitute an invitation to reconciliation and fraternity among all believers, indeed among believers and non-believers, and among all people of good will;
this Declaration may be an appeal to every upright conscience that rejects deplorable violence and blind extremism; an appeal to those who cherish the values of tolerance and fraternity that are promoted and encouraged by religions;
this Declaration may be a witness to the greatness of faith in God that unites divided hearts and elevates the human soul;
this Declaration may be a sign of the closeness between East and West, between North and South, and between all who believe that God has created us to understand one another, cooperate with one another and live as brothers and sisters who love one another.
This is what we hope and seek to achieve with the aim of finding a universal peace that all can enjoy in this life.
On the political front, globalism may have lost some momentum, but in religious circles it is steaming right along.
The push for a one world religion is happening right out in the open, and very few people seem alarmed by it.
 

Cannavore

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Fundamentalists of all strides are indeed a scourge.

I'm sure you'd agree if we were strictly talking about Muslim fundamentalists.
 

bigtacofarmer

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The Pope considers millions upon millions of American Christians to be a plague that is infecting our planet


The pope knows!
 

h.h.

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At least they would not be working under the protective umbrella of ages old major religious institutions that have ordained the above stated actions within their own holy texts as coming directly from 'The Word of God' -

Out in the open - they would be easier to spot -
They’d be Boy Scout leaders.
 

TychoMonolyth

Boreal Curing
Pope Francis Declares That Christian Fundamentalists Are “A Scourge”

The Pope considers millions upon millions of American Christians to be a plague that is infecting our planet

pope.jpg


...
I wholeheartedly agree with him.


[iframe1]c2P_RJJYjzY[/iframe1]
 

beta

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lmao

Ex-Infowars Staffer: We Made Up Shariah Law Threat Stories

4ec9d3c57c7150162635d3baa52f8f60-jones.jpg


A former staff member at Alex Jones’s far-right conspiracy site Infowars has admitted to making up stories for Jones about the threat of Shariah law within the U.S. Writing for The New York Times, Josh Owens expressed his regret for helping Jones spread Islamophobic misinformation. The former Infowars video editor said that he made up lies about Islamberg, a Muslim community north of New York City, and accused it of harboring terrorists. After being told in interviews that the people of Islamberg were “kind, generous neighbors,” Owens writes that they decided to lie. “The information did not meet our expectations, so we made it up, preying on the vulnerable and feeding the prejudices and fears of Jones’s audience,” he wrote. “We ignored certain facts, fabricated others and took situations out of context to fit our narrative.” The fabrications led to headlines such as “Shariah Law Zones Confirmed in America,” “Report: Obama’s Terror Cells in the U.S.,” and “The Rumors Are True: Shariah Law Is Here!” Owens writes that he quit soon after the Islamberg assignment.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/05/magazine/alex-jones-infowars.html
 

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The hard core folk would believe Alex if he said Jesus has returned and is flipping burgers for a living.

That's the beauty of cultivating a base of people who are primed to accept wild conspiracy theories without question. Anything that challenges your authority becomes part of the conspiracy, and can be easily dismissed.

A perfect example of this is pipeline accusing people here of L I T E R A L L Y being paid real money by (((George Soros))) to contradict him. We're just pretending to be cannabis aficionados, you see...

There's no way that you could legitimately look at Infowars and see anything but truth, therefor you are a paid shill of the 'Jew World Order' or whatever the fuck else these mouth breathers are being told to fear this week.

If you don't accept the conspiracy you are PART of the conspiracy. It's a really neat trick, if you think about it. Makes it possible to believe literally anything, no matter how absurd.
 

pipeline

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https://www.infowars.com/masses-being-conditioned-to-ignore-economic-bubble/


Masses Being Conditioned to Ignore Economic Bubble

Imminent collapse to launch global economic reset into what elites call a “new world order”

Brandon Smith | Alt-Market - December 5, 2019 Comments
Image Credits: WANG ZHAO / Contributor / Getty.





In the second week of October, after the “partial” U.S.-China trade deal was announced to much fanfare, I made this prediction:
“US and Chinese officials rarely waste an opportunity to use trade talk headlines to head-fake markets with false hope. Rumors of a “partial” or tentative trade deal are circulating today, with MORE trade talks in a month or two. In other words, “more trade talks” means there is no deal of any substance and there’s plenty of time for the whole thing to fall apart once again. I give it less than a month. In the meantime, there will be plenty of other distractions for the general public, including the impeachment circus, tariffs against Europe, tensions in Syria, the Brexit mess, etc, etc.”
My estimate was incorrect; it took a little OVER one month for the whole thing to fall apart. That said, I think the primary point remains the same. The trade war is not going to end anytime soon and there is a very good reason why this is the case: It serves the globalist agenda as a perfect distraction for the collapse of the “Everything Bubble” and the launch of the global economic reset into a what the elites call a “new world order”.
But let’s go back for a moment to understand what just happened. A month ago, the trade deal was treated as essentially done. China had partially folded on most of Trump’s demands and Trump was going to pull off a major economic victory just in time for the 2020 election season. The Dow was going to rocket past 30,000 and Trump’s second term was now assured. This was the narrative in the majority of the alternative media, and I have to say, it is sad to see so many otherwise intelligent analysts make such a huge blunder.
I have lost track of how many times the trade war was put on hold in light of an optimistic “new deal”, and how many times people bought into the farce. For many, though, this event seemed different. The rhetoric on both sides was more conciliatory and they even had a tentative date set for a “phase one” deal signing. The problem is that after every deal announcement, the establishment has always left at least a few separate “linchpins” in place that would allow them to explode trade deal exuberance down the road.
A year ago, the linchpin was the arrest of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou in the middle of a 90-day truce. This time, it was the U.S. passage of a bill supporting Hong Kong protesters only weeks before the trade deal was to be signed and before new U.S. tariffs were to be implemented against China.
The Hong Kong issue is an interesting one. I won’t get too involved in the domestic politics of Hong Kong vs. China because I think this is peripheral to the bigger discussion. I will say that if I was living in Hong Kong, I would not want to concede further control to the totalitarian aspirations of mainland China. But U.S. involvement doesn’t help the protesters. In fact, it hurts them.
Mass protests against government dominance require grassroots momentum to be successful. They require the public and the rest of the world to view their efforts as a legitimate fight for freedom against the oversteps of the political elites. Such activist efforts are derailed when they are sullied by associations with foreign powers. Meaning, when a protest or rebellion is accused of being a puppet movement of a foreign government seeking war by proxy, the rebellion loses support in the eyes of the rest of the public and thus loses momentum.
Americans should be intimately familiar with this problem. Conservative activist groups have been accused for years of being puppets of the Russian government, and this is clearly designed to undermine their image as true Americans fighting for a freer society. In Hong Kong, the U.S. is being presented as the foreign power whose tentacles are spreading through every facet of the protests. And even if the Hong Kong rebellion started on honest terms as a real domestic response to Chinese Big Brother collectivism, it doesn’t matter now. The U.S. government has sabotaged those efforts by injecting itself into the situation.
U.S. legislation in support of Hong Kong also wrecks any future possibility of a trade deal, because it directly attaches the Trump Administration and the trade talks to the violent tides in Hong Kong. Trump cannot sign a trade deal with China while China brutalizes protesters, and China cannot sign a deal while Trump encourages what they consider domestic terrorism. Even if one side or the other wanted to capitulate, now it is impossible.
Of course, it is my belief that neither side ever had any intention of signing a trade deal in the first place. It is also my belief that the next escalation of the trade war will be used by the establishment as a scapegoat for the ongoing collapse in economic fundamentals and eventually a crash in stock markets.
The Censorship Singularity Is Upon Us Alex Jones breaks down the state of censorship and the authoritarian communication control plan.
Currently, it appears that the December phase one deal signing is off. Donald Trump has stated that he “likes the idea” of delaying a trade deal until after the 2020 election. The Chinese state-controlled media has accused the U.S. of “backpedaling” on recent agreements. And, rumors are that the Trump Administration is poised to assert new and higher tariffs on China by December 15th. I think the people betting on a Santa rally in markets this holiday season are about to get the same shock they got during the 2018 holiday season.
In the meantime, precious metals, which saw a pull-back in recent weeks due to economic optimism fueled by a potential trade deal, will soon return to their previous rally as the trade deal falls apart yet again. There is a reason why countries like Russia and China have been stocking gold like mad the past few years. They know what is about to happen.
But why reignite the trade war now? As I noted at the end of October:
“Trump has no intention of “winning” the trade war, and China has no intention of giving any real concessions to the US. In the meantime, the banking elites are conditioning the public to associate the trade war with the success or failure of stock markets, and separating themselves from any blame for the ongoing crash in fundamentals. When the trade deal finally and fully falls apart and markets crash, the public will assume the two things are directly related, and the banking elites hope that everyone will forget that it was they that created the Everything Bubble in the first place…”
The Federal Reserve’s overnight and month-long repo purchases conveniently coincided with October and November’s trade deal optimism. Stock markets rocketed upwards despite almost all economic data showing a severe decline in every sector from housing to manufacturing to retail sales and store closures to auto sales, all on top of historic levels of corporate and consumer debt not seen since the crash of 2008. Now the Fed’s repo-loans are coming due and companies are going to have to buy back the collateral they initially gave the Fed in exchange for quick cash, conveniently at the same time as the trade war is being accelerated.
You will notice that in almost every instance that there is a policy shift by the Fed, something extreme seems to happen in the trade war. The central bankers are acclimating the public to the idea that every time good things happen in markets, it’s because of trade deal optimism. And, every time something bad happens in markets, it’s because the trade war is getting worse.
The masses are being conditioned to forget all about the epic financial bubble the elites engineered over the past decade through stimulus measures and QE, not to mention the fact that the Fed popped that bubble over a year ago through interest rate hikes and balance sheet cuts into economic weakness.
Another rather advantageous aspect of the trade war is that it provides cover for the destruction of the current monetary order and makes way for what the establishment elites call the “global economic reset”. As “de-dollarization” continues in Russia, China, the EU and other nations, eventually the American public is going to discover that their currency is being replaced as the world reserve with a basket system that includes a cashless digital alternative. This system is already being created by the IMF, and many nations including China and Russia have proclaimed their support for it.
The U.S. will see considerable inflation or stagflation as the reset evolves. The elites hope that Americans will blame China and perhaps Russia for the pain of the dollar crash. The trade war creates a false paradigm of East vs. West, while the global banks and their political allies escape all blame. At least, that is the plan.
Gavin McInnes Warns, The Civil War’s Next Wave Is Here Gavin McInnes joins The Alex Jones Show to break down what to expect in the coming days.
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pipeline

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https://www.infowars.com/the-averag...on-programming-over-the-course-of-a-lifetime/


The Average Person Will Watch Over 78,000 Hours Of Television “Programming” Over The Course Of A Lifetime

If you want to waste your life, a great way to do that is to spend tens of thousands of hours watching television

Michael Snyder | End of The American Dream - December 5, 2019 15 Comments
Image Credits: Getty Images .





If you want to waste your life, a great way to do that is to spend tens of thousands of hours watching television.
Today, it is so difficult to get people to leave their homes and get active in their communities, because most of us are absolutely glued to one screen or another. After a long day at school or a hard day at work, most of us understandably want to relax, and from a very early age most of us have been trained to turn to the television as our main source of relaxation. But of course there is great danger in allowing anyone to pump thousands upon thousands of hours of “programming” into our minds. More than 90 percent of the “programming” that we consume is controlled by just a handful of exceedingly powerful corporations, and those corporations are owned by the elite of the world. So when you endlessly consume their “programming”, you are willingly being bombarded by news and entertainment that reflects their beliefs, their values and their agendas. They openly admit that they are trying to shape the future of society, and up to this point they have been extremely successful.
Unfortunately, we live at a time when most people need television or some other insidious addiction to take their minds off of the gnawing emptiness that they feel deep inside of them. As I was doing some research the other day, a comment that someone posted on an Internet message board really struck a chord with me
As a kid life seems so amazing and you can dream of big things and have faith. The older you get it seems the world tries to take away your faith. I have had 8 jobs in my life starting in high school and I’m just sick of this ****. I’m lucky to make 100 a day . I know that’s poverty level. But I manage. But thinking ahead I have to do this every day for the next 30 years . How the hell do you guys and gals cope with reality.
I’m on empty.
I want out.
In just a few sentences, this individual summed up what millions upon millions of Americans are feeling.

Share this censored link to join Infowars in the fight for free speech! Alex Jones breaks down the implosion of the ongoing impeachment process, but explains why Trump might still lose if he and his supporters get overconfident. Tune in to this live Wednesday edition featuring Gavin McInnes and more!
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The harsh realities of modern society have absolutely sucked the life out of so many people around us, and the vast majority of Americans are barely getting by and are living lives of quiet desperation.
If television allows them to forget about their troubles for a while, it is understandable why so many use it as a crutch.
But do we have to watch so much of it? One recent survey found that the average adult will watch more than 78,000 hours of television over the course of a lifetime…
Television has become such a common part of all of our lives that most don’t even think about just how much time they spend staring at their TV screen. Of course, all of those hours are undoubtedly adding up, and a recent survey of 2,000 British adults finds that the average TV viewer will watch an astounding 78,705 hours of programming (movies, sports, news, etc) in their lifetime. That’s a whole lot of screen time that may have been better spent on more productive endeavors.
On a day-to-day basis, the average adult watches TV for three-and-a-half hours, amounting to 1,248 hours each year.
I know that some of my readers will point out that this was a British survey, but the truth is that Americans actually watch even more television. The following comes from Wikipedia
In the US, there is an estimated 119.9 million TV households in the TV season 2018/19.
In 2017 alone, an average U.S. consumer spent 238 minutes (3h 58min) daily watching TV.
Those numbers are absolutely staggering. And when you break them down further they become even more alarming. In the first survey that I mentioned above, the researchers actually discovered that the average person “will watch 11,278 different TV series”
The survey, commissioned by LG Electronics, broke down those numbers even further and concluded that the average adult these days will watch 3,639 movies at home, and 31,507 episodes of TV during their lifespan. As far as different programs, the average person will watch 11,278 different TV series as well.
Are there really 11,278 television series worth watching?
I would think that you would have to go really deep into the well to watch that many, but apparently that is what many people are doing.
Of course I am not entirely against television. For example, I think that “Poldark” is an absolute masterpiece. But everything should be done in moderation.
The fact that we are endlessly watching so much television could help to explain why our society has become so “dumbed down”. Yesterday, I discussed a recent study that found that 15-year-old U.S. students are about four grade levels behind15-year-old Chinese students in math.
I bet those Chinese students are spending a lot more time studying and a lot less time watching television.
At this point, America has truly become an “idiocracy”.
For example, have you heard what the hottest new toy for this holiday season is?
It is actually a “fart launcher” that allows children to blast foul smelling air at one another. The following comes from the New York Post
Toy insiders and wincing parents tell The Post that the Buttheads Fart Launcher 3000 — a Nerf gun-like gadget that shoots farts instead of darts — is topping off kids’ wish lists this year.
“This is my worst nightmare,” mom Angie Wong, the 42-year-old founder of the private Facebook group Brooklyn Moms, tells The Post. She recently caved and got the gas-blasting gizmo for her 5-year-old son, Will, and 7-year-old daughter, Maddie. “I can see that thing [being] used on my face one unsuspecting morning.”
Of course a “fart launcher” is not the end of the world, but as I document regularly in my articles, there are literally thousands of signs that the fabric of our society is coming apart all around us.
If our society continues to degenerate at this rate, there is only one way that our story can end.
Sadly, most people seem to think that everything is going to be just fine, because that is what their televisions are telling them to think.
Most of us are willingly plugging ourselves into “the matrix” for multiple hours every day, and so it shouldn’t be a surprise that most of us see the world the way that the elite want us to see it.
If you want to start making positive changes in your life, breaking free of your addictions is one of the most important things that you can do.
And at this point, for many Americans watching television is one of the most insidious addictions of all.
 

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https://www.infowars.com/virginia-b...emand-to-become-a-second-amendment-sanctuary/


Virginia Beach Residents Pack City Hall, Demand to Become a Second Amendment Sanctuary

If leftist cities can declare themselves to be sanctuaries for illegal aliens in defiance of federal law, right-minded cities can declare themselves sanctuaries for the Second Amendment

Chris Menahanhttp://www.informationliberation.com/?id=60992 | Information Liberation - December 5, 2019 21 Comments

It’s happening.
WATCH:
From 13 News Now, “Virginia Beach City Hall overflows with crowd supporting Second Amendment Sanctuary”:
There was nothing official on Virginia Beach City Council’s agenda about Second Amendment Sanctuaries Tuesday night, but that didn’t keep a crowd of supporters from showing up.
In fact, so many people showed up, the fire marshal’s office had to ask dozens upon dozens of people to step outside of the building, and they did. That left a sea of supporters outside Virginia Beach City Hall.
All of this took place as the Gloucester County Board of Supervisors prepared to vote on a Second Amendment Sanctuary resolution, a resolution which the board passed unanimously Tuesday. The county joined other municipalities in Virginia that adopted similar resolutions.
If leftist cities can declare themselves to be sanctuaries for illegal aliens in defiance of federal law, right-minded cities can declare themselves sanctuaries for the Second Amendment to uphold the Bill of Rights in defiance of leftist gun grabbers.

This is going to be one of the biggest issues in the very near future as states like Texas, Georgia and Florida follow Virginia in turning blue due to mass immigration.


Gavin McInnes joins The Alex Jones Show to break down what to expect in the next wave of Civil War.
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In this video from WSLS 10, far-left activist Catherine Koebel Stromberg‎ of Roanoke Indivisible attacked Roanoke City residents seeking to become a Second Amendment sanctuary as extremists and bashed them on racial grounds, saying: “You can just look at the demographics and literally you can tell they don’t represent the city.”
Note the implication of Stromberg’s statement: certain minorities do not deserve to have their rights protected.
On their Facebook page, Roanoke Indivisible smeared everyone involved as white supremacists who are “for repressing minorities.”
roanoke-indivisible-white-supremacy.jpg

Note, Stromberg says they don’t “represent the city” demographically and yet her group still portrays them as an oppressive majority oppressing minorities!
Other counties have passed similar resolutions declaring their aim to become Second Amendment sanctuaries.
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https://www.infowars.com/france-crippled-by-massive-nationwide-strikes/


France Crippled By Massive Nationwide Strikes

Millions of workers walk out in biggest national shutdown in years

Deutsche Welle - December 5, 2019 6 Comments
Image Credits: SYLVAIN THOMAS/AFP via Getty Images.





Millions of transport workers, teachers, police and other professionals have begun a general walkout in France’s biggest shutdown in years.
The strikes will be a major test of President Macron’s political strength.
A general strike in France paralyzed the country on Thursday, as workers and other professionals protest against President Emmanuel Macron’s proposed pension reforms.
The strikes follow over a year of weekly “yellow vest” protests against inequality that have rocked the country.
Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff joins Matt Bracken to detail her unique experience in Europe as the daughter of an Austrian diplomat where she witnessed Islam gain momentum across society.
What services are affected?
The French government has beefed up security in the capital Paris and other major cities amid fears hardline protesters could cause trouble.

  • Buses, trains and flights have been canceled and most of the Paris subway system came to a halt.
  • Schools are closed as more than half of all primary and secondary teachers walked out.
  • Hospital emergency rooms are operating with skeleton staff as nurses and doctors strike.
  • Unions have planned two big Paris demonstrations, which will converge on the Place de la Nation.
  • Tourist authorities have warned visitors to stay away from the Eiffel Tower.
French media said the walkout could last for several days, drawing comparisons with the 1995 showdown between the government and unions that paralyzed the country for weeks.
Unpopular reforms
President Macron plans to reform France’s pension system, calling it unfair and costly. He wants to introduce a single, points-based system that guarantees equal rights to every pensioner.
Macron also wants to implement a “universal” retirement system, which was one his major campaign promises. But labor unions say the proposed reforms would effectively require millions of private-sector workers to work beyond the legal retirement age of 62 in order to receive the full pension.
“The moment of truth for Macron,” wrote the Le Monde daily in its Thursday’s edition. “The next days are a decisive test for the head of state.”
Gare.jpg
Dursun Aydemir/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images The French leader wants to set the tone for the second half of his mandate, as he plans to announce more difficult reforms in the coming months.
“What we’ve got to do is shut the economy down,” Christian Grolier, a senior official from the hard-left Force Ouvriere union, told Reuters news agency. “People are spoiling for a fight.”
The “yellow vest” demonstrations, which occasionally turned violent, evolved into an anti-government uprising against Macron, whose policies are seen as favoring the rich.
The movement has since lost steam, going from tens of thousands of demonstrators to a few thousand.
TheMediapart website said: “Will the [Thursday] protests and strikes be strong enough to halt the march of reform? Everyone is holding their breath.”
 
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