The police unions are saying clearly, @GCharing, that they were not allowed to redeploy to the CdG Étoile because that would have left government buildings unprotected. And in fact, that's just what I saw:
A massive police presence at Hôtel de Ville, even though there was no obvious threat. That's why the police unions want a state of emergency; it's the only way the army can be assigned to protect static targets, allowing the cops to do their jobs.
I don't know who made the decision not to reinforce the police at the Étoile, but it's notable that Macron was out of town, so it seems to me the responsibility for this is on Castener. That said, I'm not sure it was the wrong decision: lives should take priority over property.
So then the question becomes, "Why did the intelligence services fail to predict a violent civil insurrection," and "Why are the French police so undermanned that they can't confront a violent civil insurrection?" And I reckon the answer to that is,
"Why would we expect to have a violent civil insurrection? This is France, we did that already. We had an election. We'll have them again in a couple of years. Who in his right mind would want to have another violent Revolution in France?"
Problem is, the fairly small number of people who are completely out of their minds and want to have another violent Revolution in France have now seen that a) violence works; and b) the cops are outnumbered and out-numberable. I reckon this *will* end in a State of Emergency--
so it would be better to call one now, before the bloodletting that provokes it happens. But I think it's politically out of the question until that happens.
I wonder if legally it's possible to deploy the military to protect static targets and public buildings--
I wonder if legally it's possible to deploy the military to protect static targets and public buildings--
without declaring a State of Emergency? (But my God, what happens if the protesters take on the military? They're not trained or equipped to deal with that: They're trained to kill the Enemy.)
I don't envy Macron right now. These are difficult decisions.
I don't envy Macron right now. These are difficult decisions.
