Finally, Western Europeans are taking to the streets for the right reasons. Well, some Western Europeans in some parts of Western Europe, anyway, and at least partly for the right reasons. In France, where street protests (often violent) are as central to the culture as wine, brie, and the cinematic genius of Jerry Lewis, they’ve been rampaging recently over proposed government budget cuts, but back in April they were kicking up a fuss over a blatantly partisan ruling that declared Marine Le Pen ineligible to run for office until 2030. In Britain, of course, Tommy Robinson’s peaceful Unite the Kingdom rally on September 13 drew – depending on whom you listen to – either 3 million protesters or just barely enough people to form a basketball team. (In the pictures, it sure looked like millions.)
