By By Michael Cosgrove Oct 14, 2010 in Politics French unions and Socialist politicians have finally got what they wanted as property, shops and police are attacked all over France. This is the direct result of their irresponsible calls for children to strike to support the pension rights of adults. They attacked and sometimes burned everything in sight as they went on the rampage in several cities after barricading the entries to their schools, with CRS riot police finally using tear gas and flashballs to disperse them after police became unable to contain the numerous incidents. One rioter was hit in the face by a flashball and another was hit in the head by a rock. Policemen and firemen were also injured by projectiles, including five in Nimes. They were rioting to protest France’s new retirement law, which raises the retirement age from 60 to 62, and may thus eventually affect them in 45 to 50 years. Moreover the law may well be changed in a few years, as it only contains provisions to maintain the fiscal measures contained within it until 2018. Several unions and senior Socialists politicians had encouraged them to strike and demonstrate today, and anarchist and extreme left-wing groups did the same, by handing out leaflets to children arriving at and leaving school. Losing Socialist candidate in the 2007 presidential election She had also asked that the children demonstrate "pacifically", but that didn't stop a young girl who is currently undergoing a facial skin graft in a burns unit in a Lyon hospital less than a mile from where I am sitting after "pacifically" lighting a fire in a used oil barrel to hide the activity of her fellow strikers - thus imitating her elders - from being burnt after it burst into flames when she lit it, as was pointed out by French Sports Secretary Rama Yade. Others sympathetic to their cause included sociologists, teachers, and a lot of comment on news articles by ordinary citizens who apparently think it’s legitimate to let hundreds of kids onto the street in an uncontrolled manner after being egged on by self-interested adults and armchair revolutionaries. Much of the criticism of their attitude was deflected with a lofty “Kids are not stupid, they understand the issues, it’s their right to demonstrate, they know how to handle themselves.” Let’s call a spade a spade here. Children of 15 years old do not understand all the issues related to retirement. They should not be manipulated into striking to preserve the rights of adults. Trade unions and politicians should not be encouraging them. And most of all, they are not capable of resisting appeals from extremists who whip up an anti-establishment frenzy using Che Guevara T-shirts and techno music meetings. But those who encourage them to demonstrate ARE guilty of the willful and cynical manipulation of children for their own ends. And those adults who support them from the outside ARE guilty of the cowardly moral crime of asking kids to start the revolution they didn’t have the guts to start themselves. Shame on them. Paris, Montreuil, Chambery, Lyon, Argenteuil, Toulouse, and many other towns saw bands of child strikers roaming the streets, some of whom were intent on causing trouble.They attacked and sometimes burned everything in sight as they went on the rampage in several cities after barricading the entries to their schools, with CRS riot police finally using tear gas and flashballs to disperse them after police became unable to contain the numerous incidents. One rioter was hit in the face by a flashball and another was hit in the head by a rock. Policemen and firemen were also injured by projectiles, including five in Nimes.They were rioting to protest France’s new retirement law, which raises the retirement age from 60 to 62, and may thus eventually affect them in 45 to 50 years. Moreover the law may well be changed in a few years, as it only contains provisions to maintain the fiscal measures contained within it until 2018.Several unions and senior Socialists politicians had encouraged them to strike and demonstrate today, and anarchist and extreme left-wing groups did the same, by handing out leaflets to children arriving at and leaving school. Losing Socialist candidate in the 2007 presidential election Ségolène Royal was amongst them , and in her opinion, “..I do think that young people are responsible people and that they know why they demonstrate. Moreover I am actually asking them to demonstrate..” She later denied saying this until being confronted with exactly what she had said, upon which she changed tack and declared that her words had been “instrumentalised.”She had also asked that the children demonstrate "pacifically", but that didn't stop a young girl who is currently undergoing a facial skin graft in a burns unit in a Lyon hospital less than a mile from where I am sitting after "pacifically" lighting a fire in a used oil barrel to hide the activity of her fellow strikers - thus imitating her elders - from being burnt after it burst into flames when she lit it, as was pointed out by French Sports Secretary Rama Yade. (Video in French.) Others sympathetic to their cause included sociologists, teachers, and a lot of comment on news articles by ordinary citizens who apparently think it’s legitimate to let hundreds of kids onto the street in an uncontrolled manner after being egged on by self-interested adults and armchair revolutionaries.Much of the criticism of their attitude was deflected with a lofty “Kids are not stupid, they understand the issues, it’s their right to demonstrate, they know how to handle themselves.”Let’s call a spade a spade here. Children of 15 years old do not understand all the issues related to retirement. They should not be manipulated into striking to preserve the rights of adults. Trade unions and politicians should not be encouraging them. And most of all, they are not capable of resisting appeals from extremists who whip up an anti-establishment frenzy using Che Guevara T-shirts and techno music meetings.But those who encourage them to demonstrate ARE guilty of the willful and cynical manipulation of children for their own ends. And those adults who support them from the outside ARE guilty of the cowardly moral crime of asking kids to start the revolution they didn’t have the guts to start themselves.Shame on them. This opinion article was written by an independent writer. The opinions and views expressed herein are those of the author and are not necessarily intended to reflect those of DigitalJournal.com More about Strikes, Labor relations, Retirement, France More news from strikes labor relations retirement france