...referring to some US media hack excoriating the Palestinians for resisting with violent tactics:

'it’s very easy to recommend to victims, “You be nice guys.” That’s cheap. Even if it’s correct, it’s cheap. What matters is what we say about ourselves. Are we going to be nice guys? That’s the important thing, particularly when it’s the United States, the country which, quite rightly, is regarded by the—internationally as the leading threat to world peace, and the decisive threat in the Israeli case.' - https://chomsky.info/20140811/

I would add 'patronising' - how do you know a general strike would 'work just as well'? The French have been striking, Macron pushed the reforms through anyway, using undemocratic measures because of course around 70% of the country is opposed to them. It looks like this fire was started using a pile of rubbish and bins. I heard that's what was happening in Paris and elsewhere - the refuse collectors went on strike, rubbish built up in the streets, and after the vote of no confidence failed people went around setting the piles on fire. Seems fair to me in response to such a collossal failure of the democratic process. They tried being 'nice guys', it didn't work, time to move on to other tactics. In fact a segment of French society has understood this for a long time, especially the poor in banlieues around Paris - they have no representation, nobody cares about them, so the only way to make themselves heard is to riot and exact a price from the state for their oppression.

In any case, it's up to them to decide what is and what isn't an appropriate form of resistance. IMHO of course...
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