Remember this? Now look at Paris under a Socialist government:
French army soldiers patrol down the Champs Elysee in Paris. Security has been stepped up in the French capital to head off terror attacks after France’s military launched an operation to push back al-Qaeda-linked insurgents in MaliPicture: Remy de la Mauviniere
Full slideshow (H/t Denise):
France’s military intervention against Islamist fighters in Mali
Yikes! “Assault” weapons, no less.
Be careful when the government start having the military on the streets.
That’s hilarious: “We did not make this up”.
In the next election campaign the Conservatives should run their own ad on all these false allegations from the Left: e.g. “Stephen Harper will put soldiers in our streets; Harper is going to abolish abortion; Harper will abolish Gay marriage; Harper tortured Afghan farmers”, et cetera.
And conclude the ad with: “Yes you did make this up!”
Only a gun enthusiast would see that there is no magazine in that Famas. That is an unloaded rifle, being carried so noticeably. It’s a bullpup design, and the mag goes behind the pistol grip.
It would take that french soldier a lifetime to load if he or she came into contact/engagement.
Terrific. I’m going to Paris next week on business.
Should I wear a kevlar vest?
With a large and uncontrolled Muslim population, it is only a matter of time before they strike back – against the country they live in. They will make them pay for intervening in Mali, the only question will be what – French citizens, the Eiffel tower, the Louvre, that cool new bridge, the Chunnel, etc.
Er, this isn’t too different from Paris on a “normal” day, actually. I’ve been to Paris five or six times since the mid-90’s (been to the rest of France more often), and I’ve never failed to spot at least a couple of almost-too-young-to-shave gendarmes carrying submachine guns, patrolling the streets.
They’re much more evident during national holidays (particularly May Day) but they’re always around somewhere, such as the airports…
I must reiterate what Garth Wood says. I have been to Paris a few times and I am always shocked by the number of police on the streets. I remember being in the plaza in front of the Louvre and hearing sirens screaming in from all directions. a half dozen trucks full of police came tearing in. Forty to fifty cops, dismounted from the trucks, and lined up at another police truck to get their afternoon coffee and sticky buns. It was one of the funnier/odder things I have ever experienced. If you are going to be a cop, Paris is the place to be one.
This is pretty typical for a Euro-police state.
If you remember in the first “Day of the Jackal” movie
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069947/?ref_=sr_1
the key clue to the Jackal comes under torture by the French secret service (“Les Barbouzes [the Bearded Ones]”? Not sure if that is who they are in the, er, flick),
http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/february/27/newsid_2515000/2515735.stm
during which the OAS member dies.
The movie didn’t seem to bother people back then. And the French are very serious when they see the need.
Sabre
I was in Paris around the time of subway bombings back in the late 1980’s. I had to get a Visa to enter France and yes, there were a lot of soldiers patrolling the airports.
All jokes aside, the French don’t screw around when they set their minds to something. I’ve seen them break up student demonstrations in Paris.
Visited Paris in 2011, first thing we saw in Charles De Gaulle airport was 3 commandos patrolling. Realized we ‘weren’t in Kansas anymore’. Noticed they were for the most part ‘visible minorities’. Most tourist sites had soldiers with machine guns, always 3 to a group. Realized after we came down from the Eiffel Tower there were no police or soldiers up there. Made me wonder which of the ‘tourists’ were actually ‘packing heat’. On the ground level saw at least 3 different levels of police/soldiers. Definitely more security than public washrooms
Notice the need for France to use RAF and RCAF C-17s to deliver there armoured vehicles. The liberals and dippers DEMANDED Canada purchase the EADS Airbus A400m and damned Harper for sole-sourcing the Globemaster. I think the seventh pre-production Grizzly was just delivered to the Lutwaffe for testing. Full service entry is still years away.
We’re gaining street-cred being one of the big boys now.
Just a little more cultural enrichment for the French to enjoy!
Oh yea, all those soldiers with small arms are really going to be effective against a suicide bomber going into a cafe.
Maybe they can stop a train bomb like they did in Madrid a few years ago, or the London buses.
Keep bringing them in, cause eventually they will be the ones walking around with the guns and you will be wearing Burka’s.
Anybody else notice the female armorer in slide #9?
Some have commented about troops in the streets in France being nothing new. We did not see anything similar in Russia, although there was a large police presence around and in the Kremlin.
I just love the hats. Only the French could make their soldiers look (from the neck up) like artists.
I lived in Paris during the Algerian fun. Lots of soldiers around then too.
Maybe this will bring the muzzli-fication of France to a head and it can be dealt with once and for all.
The French have already given their Country away. The invading hordes passed through the gates years ago and no one stopped them while they still had a chance.
http://www.albatrus.org/english/living/ourtimes/islam_conquer_europe.htm
Most European countries as well as Britain fare no better.
Went through Paris numerous times in the 1980s, and there were, as I recall, always black/dark blue uniformed personnel at Charlie D’s airport carrying automatic weapons.
What L. Hill said – that thing’s unloaded, unless he has like a 5 round flush magazine in it.
Which I really, really doubt.
So, in an “emergency” he’s going to have to take time to load and chamber it.
On the plus side, it means his dumbassery can’t get any Parisians killed by accident…
@ peterj (6:35 PM)
The link you provided concludes with the following recommendations:
1. The Islamic religion must be banned,
2. ALL Mosques (nothing other than military outpost) must be closed and destroyed,
3. All those professing Islam must be kicked out of Europe.
Oh dearie me, do something about the Muslims? But then sure who would clean DSK’s pipes?
As someone pointed out, the soldier swanning around looking menacing is just for show. Going by the precedent set by several wars with Germany, all of which they would have lost without English help, nothing of substance will be done to secure France from her enemies while there is still time for France to save herself.
The real plan of France’s elites, in so far as they have one, is to be safely in London, Geneva and Montreal when Paris falls to Islamic hands, having sent as much of their country’s wealth as they could embezzle ahead of them, and leaving the plain people of France to their fate. Gerard Depardieu isn’t a libertarian hero. He’s a rat leaving a sinking ship.
Kevlar is not enough to deal with the Religion of Peace acolytes. You need plates. Although Kelvar underoos make a good addition to beef up the torso/lower body interface, since that is usually the weak spot in body armor. Well, that, and the face, of course. That is why one has at least FMJ or preferably AP to deal with criminals who blast their way into one’s home while wearing body armor…
Rizwan >
“The link you provided concludes with the following recommendations:”
Well unless we want our asss kicked that is what is needed – all politically correct BS aside.
Reality verses fantasy, wishful thinking verses logic, the universe only spins one meaningful way for us.
Given the “restive yute” population, one is not surprised.
Paris is not unique in Europe. I lived in Rome for a while and pairs of Carabinieri with German Shepherds and Uzis were standard at the airport.
“With a large and uncontrolled Muslim population, it is only a matter of time before they strike back – against the country they live in. They will make them pay for intervening in Mali, the only question will be what – French citizens, the Eiffel tower, the Louvre, that cool new bridge, the Chunnel, etc.”
For openers, I’m guessing lots and lots and lots of parked cars.
My bet instead would be the Chunnel for the REAL strike. Cars are merely for practice. By attacking the Chunnel, they get two stoned with one bird. And a Chunnel attack should not be TOO much of a challenge for the Religion of Peace. Especially with the clothes one needs to wear over there in winter.
at first I thought Trona , army , but no snow.couldnt be
Nothing new here. I was there 1957-61 during the Algerian terror campaign. There were bombs, now and then, and toward the end the gendarmes went around in pairs, one with a pistol in his hand and the other with a submachine gun. The crowds were tough – after one terrorist attack the crowd chased the terrorist into a subway and beat him to a pulp.
It all ended when de Gaulle (a rightwinger) sold out the Algerian whites; and then put down the subsequent revolt.
The world changes when there are tanks in the street for business purposes.
Despite a reputation for surrendering, the French Military is a professional no nonsense outfit.
My take is these patrolling grunts purpose is primarilly non-lethal intervention, to kick a$$ literally (a famas like most military weapons is a decent blunt object in trained hands) and secondarily to shoot carBQers on sight.
The french obviously consider rioting “yutes” to be the more probable…..and infantry being more of a deterrant than gendarmes with pocket pistols.
Yeah cops with rippers is a common sight in western europe…..lotsa “bobbies” with MP5’s at Heathrow….
I’m a little amazed that Canadians don’t ever bring up ALL the thwarted terrorist attempts by Islam on Canadian soil, even our Prime Minister.
We’ve had plenty, but they get stopped by CSIS or the RCMP, make the news for a day, then it’s a French problem.
And a really observant gun enthusiast would notice that it’s a HS VHS Rifle.
I don’t see how these tie together. A leftard scare commercial about retards being rounded up by soldiers isn’t quite the same as threats from Islamic Dynamite Monkeys putting guns on the streets.
Close but no cigar….it’s a Famas.
Commies/socialists only find soldiers from democratic free market nations disturbing. The sight of commie soldiers with machine guns employed for domestic law enforcement is “comforting” to the poor delusional creatures.
Leave us out of your collectivist totalitarian fantasies please.
The notion that an Islamic horde is going to take over France is based on junk science bad demographic assumptions and outdated data.
And they are Chasseurs Alpins; fairly high up on the competence scale.
Okay, LAS, show everyone how YOU are right and Knight is wrong. Just humour everyone.
I think that when I see entire streets blocked off for Friday prayers, burned cars and lunatics shooting children in the name of Allah that France just might have an Islamist problem.
But you’re the libertarian. You prove otherwise.
Doug Saunders neatly debunks many myths in his well-researched book here.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/four-enduring-myths-about-muslims-debunked/article4500103/
LAS >
Yea, common LAS, prove me wrong Ya little dip sh*t.
The reality is against you, whaaaaaaatever that means right?
You’re the totalitarian collectivist, LAS.
You and anyone else who touts Ron Paul and votes LPC here in Canada needs a totalitarian facist Dictator to bring about your unpopular agenda.
In all of these EUnich nations with the exception of Britain the police are an official sub-unit of the military and have always been.
It should be no surprise that they are well armed as if they are soldiers which, in fact, they are.
The only way that this could be a story of note would be if their numbers were remarkably increased.
Is this the case? If NO then this is not an issue worth discussion.
LAS >
We reject yours and Doug Sounders support for the 18 so called “Canadian” Jihadist that plotted to storm parliament and behead the Honorable Stephan Harper in June 2007 every bit as much as we reject your support for the “Canadian” Jihadist that planned the Al Qaeda terrorist attacks in Algeria last week.
You can freely support terrorist organizations bent on destroying the west all you wish, this is a free speech country, but we will not stand idly by and say nothing.
I actually have to agree with the French government on this, unfortunately the Islamic insurgency into Mali has already spread its roots and completely devastated the country and the economy.
I shake my head at you, LAS….
The last time soldiers took to the streets of Paris was June 14, 1940.
This is not new. In the early 90s I travelled to Paris on business about every couple of months. Every time I passed through the airport there were a number of guys in dark uniforms carrying H&K MP5s; they looked intimidating as hell.
But I felt a bit more safe knowing that they were there.
Right you are. Thought they’d got rid of them and taken the HS VHS
I’m more worried about the “Assault Berets”
Paul >
“I actually have to agree with the French government on this, unfortunately the Islamic insurgency into Mali….”
Actually it’s unfortunate that the Islamic insurgency was armed with weapons and personal by Gaddafi’s overthrow by the French and Obamba’s US.
This was a western manufactured problem – again.
The French are reaping what they planted, nothing more.