A fight broke out on a beach on the French island of Corsica on August 13 after a tourist began taking photos of women wearing burqinis. Following the altercation, the local mayor decided to ban the full-body swimwear.
That's right: someone took photos of women without their permission, people got upset and, in response, the state is now dictating what women can and cannot wear.
France
The six richest countries in the world, who make up almost 60% of the world鈥檚 economy, are hosting less than 9% of the total number of refugees in the world, a July 18 report by British charity Oxfam found.
And that was how the horror came to my doorstep. To tell you the truth, like many people who live in the provinces 鈥 a somewhat disparaging term used to refer to the rest of France that exists outside of Paris and its surrounds 鈥 I thought terrorist attacks were mainly a concern for those in the capital.
On July 14, this certainty was blown apart by the sad and harsh reality: 84 people of various nationality and beliefs, among them dozens of children, died due to the actions of a lunatic on the Promenade des Anglais, the 鈥淢alecon鈥 of the city of Nice, in the south-east of France.
Out of the 84 victims who died in the Nice attacks on France's Bastille Day, at least 30 were Muslims, figures based on the types of funerals required by relatives released by local Nice authorities said on July 19.
鈥淭he Party of the European Left declares its solidarity with the friends and families of the more than 80 people killed in the incomprehensible attack on July14 in Nice,鈥 the of left-wing parties across Europe said in a statement that day. 鈥淥n its national day, France witnesses another violent attack despite all its anti-terrorist security measures.
French unions protested on July 5 as the government forced a bill attacking workers鈥 rights through a hostile parliament. 鈥淭his is a counter-productive law, socially and economically,鈥 said Marie-Jose Kotlicki, a member of the General Confederation of Labour (CGT). 鈥淭he government is making a mistake in underestimating the level of discontent over this law.鈥
French unions protested on July 5 as the government forced a bill attacking workers鈥 rights through a hostile parliament.
鈥淭his is a counter-productive law, socially and economically,鈥 said Marie-Jose Kotlicki, a member of the General Confederation of Labour (CGT). 鈥淭he government is making a mistake in underestimating the level of discontent over this law.鈥
Huge strikes and protests are rocking France, with the threat of greater shocks to come as a hated labour law 鈥渃ounter-reform鈥 is debated in the French Senate.
The Socialist Party government is trying to force through the so-called El Khomri law, which would eliminate long-held workers鈥 protections. But the law has stirred huge resistance, expressed in different forms, from the occupation of public squares called the 鈥淣uit Debout鈥 (Up All Night) to a revival of mass working class action, including general strikes.
A general strike rocked France in late May in the latest escalation of protests and workplace actions against the government's attempt to scrap long-standing protections for workers.
The economy ground to a halt as dockworkers in port cities, workers in oil refineries and nuclear power stations, airport and Paris metro workers and many more took action.
Workers took to the streets on May 26 with massive protests. Unions estimated that 300,000 people took part in demonstrations, including railway workers, postal workers, students, low-wage workers, the unemployed and retirees.
Striking French workers demonstrating in in Marseille on May 26.
Mass strikes and protests continued to rock France on May 26 as trade unionists ramped up their campaign against hated new labour laws.
Truck drivers blocked major roads across France on May 17 while angry workers and students marched through city streets. Demonstrators were protesting against the longer working hours and reduced overtime payments ordered by President Francois Hollande's government.
Could things get any worse for the proposed Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) deal between the United States and the European Union? On May 2, a hugely damaging leak of TTIP texts confirmed exactly what everyone had feared about the deal 鈥 with all its hugely pro-corporate provisions on display for everyone to see.
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