Publisher: Protests in France. A new May 1968?

France has been in turmoil for some time. An attentive observer has already realized that the protests in that country, concentrated mainly in the capital Paris, have become recurrent, whether in relation to economic policy, or in relation to the reforms of the social security system, or in relation to the neuralgic presence of foreign immigrants. May 1968 began with difficulties encountered by students in university accommodation. Soon they spread out, took over the streets and took on a gigantic dimension.

This time the protests were triggered after the death of a 17-year-old by a police officer. It has the potential to last for weeks, despite the harsh repression of the state security apparatus, which has already arrested more than 2,500,000 people. Until recently, when he was in that country, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva spoke a lot about the need to fight inequalities. As he spoke, the worried expression on the face of French President Emmanuel Macron could be seen.

These inequalities, mainly in education and work opportunities, splitting the French population, are at the root of the current protests in that country. Lula speaks from the chair, since the neoliberal agenda, formatted by current capitalism, is based on the triple of inequality, racism and authoritarianism, premises that are very familiar to Brazil. It is what some theorists already define as the Brazilianization of the West. The French State's response will not come through public policies, but through harsh repression of protests. They can wait!