LOL — another troll-bot spouting purity. You make me laugh. Like a clown.
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THIS!
@tena
I’m open to evidence of Putin’s involvement- certainly he’d like to disrupt France (and every other western democracy). But as far as I can tell you’re offering no evidence, just pulling an accusation out of your hindquarters… sort of like our President does every night on Twitter… 
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I think there are underlying serious issues driving these protests…for example, the proposed fuel tax, or tax increase, that disproportionately affects rural France, which has to rely on their cars, and then the simultaneous Macron proposal–almost immediately after his inauguration–to decrease taxes on the wealthiest Frenchmen. I forget the exact details, maybe it was a reduction in estate taxes, in any case the timing was regrettable. But I agree with you, there’s something about these protests–maybe the random violence and anti-Semitism–that suggests a degree of outside interference.
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That’s an amazingly astute and well-formed argument. I assume you were champ in debate class, yes?
Or 62% support for Brexit, because “immigrants” and because “EU has done nothing for us” in a region with almost no immigrants and several major projects funded by the EU:
Are free and fair elections a thing of the past?
That’s pretty much what the reporter in the posted link found, and she found that Facebook and other social media companies are allowing the provocateurs to operate without leaving a trace except in company data that Facebook, etc., withhold from regulators and investigators.
It is very likely that the yellow vests are being used by Putin, just as multiple groups within the US were used. Putin doesn’t need to create the groups. He only needs to widen cracks and fuel anger. The aim of the particular group is of no importance. What matters is its usefulness in undermining a country’s ability to affect affairs outside its own borders (especially as part of a group of nations).
The hallmarks of the Putin influence include the unexpected increase in size of a group that has a corrosive effect on national strength. I will be suspicious of any such group, no matter what I think of the stated motivation and goals of the group.
In contrast, look at the Women’s March of 2017. This was a huge and sudden eruption of political protest that led to further political organization and peaceful protest within our democratic system. We ended up with huge numbers of first-time women candidates in 2018 and a large gain in Dem seats, thanks largely to the votes of women. The voters and the newly elected officials are fighting to rebuild our democracy and better the lives of the 90% that have been left behind.
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Because it’s an AP article.
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And where is the evidence of Putin doing this? And why would the growth of protests in France be “unexpected”? The reasons are laid out right in the article - people are angry that Notre Dame is getting instant pledges of millions. Why makes me wonder - Did Putin have his henchmen burn Notre Dame ? Is that the next theory?
My source article written in french from France (more recent) contradicts your source from the US written in English from last year.
You should take a beginner French course. I believe you can get them in St-Petersbourg.
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If you could read french, unFaded Green, you would see that Macron’s popularity if up 6% (at 33%) from your outdated article.
Or do you also have problems with basic math.
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I f you could read dates, you’d look at the timestamp on the tweet: 9:02 AM - 20 Apr 2019
LOL. The tweet I posted is from TODAY. The other article I first posted was old, yes. Speaking of reading skills, there’s this thing called “Google Translate” which is amazing.
“Only 27% of French people are satisfied with the action of Emmanuel Macron, a figure down 5% compared to March, and which has never been so low since the election of the President of the Republic, according to a poll released this Saturday, April 20th.”
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It’s a certainty that the Russians are promoting this, as they promote anything and everything in the West that can pull people apart. They organized Black Lives Matter rallies, why would you expect them not to also promote the yellow vests? Also, note the yellow vests started up against higher gasoline prices. What’s Russia’s biggest export?
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You’re asking me to prove a negative - that the Russians DIDN’T have anything to do with the protests.
That’s not how proof works.
Amazing how so many people here are ignoring the basis of this article and going straight to PUTIN.
Police fired water cannon and sprayed tear gas to try to control radical elements on the margins of the largely peaceful march, one of several actions around Paris and other French cities.
Trump is gonna tweet about how in addition to failing to use air tankers to fight the Notre Dame blaze, the Parisian government had water cannons they could have used.
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See Mueller report, etc.
Perfectly natural to be infuriated about people offering millions of dollars to help restore a beloved national landmark.
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Thanks, troll. How long have you been on the front lines of the Purity Patrol? For someone who hates TPM so much, you sure seem desperate to post here. Hmmm . . . wonder why. LOL.
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In Dec. 2018…
France opened a probe into possible Russian interference behind the country’s Yellow Vest protests, after reports that social-media accounts linked to Moscow have increasingly targeted the movement.
According to the Alliance for Securing Democracy, about 600 Twitter accounts known to promote Kremlin views have begun focusing on France, boosting their use of the hashtag #giletsjaunes, the French name for the Yellow Vest movement. French security services are looking at the situation, Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Sunday in a radio interview with RTL.
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Co-opting movements that began over legitimate concerns is, unfortunately, nothing new. Look at the history of the Tea Party - it began as a protest against Wall Street but was quickly hijacked and converted into AstroTurf groups promoting the desires of the Koch Brothers and other Republicans.
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Good point, absolutely right.
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the scattered small fires in Paris appeared to be a collective plea to the government to “look at me
— I need help too!”
This is a bit more accurate.