The reason the protests got so out of hand isn't that support for the protests is so widespread. It's because the police are desperately overstretched and undermanned. Still haven't returned to pre-2007 numbers, but their problems have vastly exceeded pre-2007 problems.
Coming up soon, I'll publish my week-long analysis of the situation, which led me to conclude they could probably keep order if they put 20,000 soldiers in force, with 5,000 around stationary targets it Paris.
And to feel really bad for the cops here, who are being asked to do an impossible job. If you feel sympathy for the #giletjaunes, as many of us do--the ones who aren't violent, anyway--feel twice as much for the cops, because they're facing exactly the same squeeze,
they're doing twice as much with half the resources, and they're exhausted. Many were injured last week. They've been begging for backup from the military, and I'm glad they're getting what they need. #mercipoliciers
