Why so many French people fear dictatorship and civil war
Apocalyptic piffle is not just for Anglophones
VENTURE INTO the chat rooms of French cyberspace or onto the streets of Paris, and the impression this summer is of a country on the brink of totalitarian rule or civil collapse, or both. In July the word dictature (dictatorship) surged tenfold on Google, in anticipation of a new “health pass” introduced on August 9th by President Emmanuel Macron. This makes full vaccination (or a negative covid-19 test) a condition of access to restaurants, bars, trains and other places.
This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “1789 and all that”
Europe August 14th 2021
- Angela Merkel’s successor could be left, right or Green
- Why so many French people fear dictatorship and civil war
- Poland’s proposed media rules threaten press freedom
- On Italy’s Costa Smeralda, the megayachts are back
- With just 15% fully jabbed, Bulgaria is giving away vaccine shots
- Six Balkan nations keep trying to join the European Union
- Two flights explain EU asylum policy
From the August 14th 2021 edition
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Emmanuel Macron shows off the gloriously restored Notre Dame
Five years after it was gutted by fire, the cathedral is more beautiful than ever
Ursula von der Leyen has a new doctrine for handling the hard right
The boss of the European Commission embarks on a second term
Marine Le Pen spooks the bond markets
She threatens to bring down the French government, but also faces a possible ban from politics
The maths of Europe’s military black hole
It needs to spend to defend, but voters may balk
Ukraine’s warriors brace for a Kremlin surge in the south
Vladimir Putin’s war machine is pushing harder and crushing Ukrainian morale
Vladimir Putin fires a new missile to amplify his nuclear threats
The attack on Ukraine is part of a new era of missile warfare