*[Enwl-eng] The spark that lit the fire

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The spark that lit the fire It was only last month that France saw widespread demonstrations against President Emmanual Macron's pension-reform plan. Opposed by the majority of French citizens, the proposed law inspired millions to take to the streets, with the police sometimes responding with violence. The government, without a clear majority in the National Assembly, chose to force through the legislation in March, sparking further outrage. While protests lingered, Macron hoped he'd finally be able to focus on more popular policies, such as tax cuts. It was in this tense social context that on 27 June, Nahel M., a 17-year-old French citizen of Algerian descent, was shot to death by a police officer after he allegedly attempted to evade a traffic control in Nanterre, east of Paris. Disadvantaged residents of working-class suburbs, many first- and second-generation immigrants, responded with fury, aiming their anger at symbols of the state – town halls, social centres, public transport and schools – as well as shops.  As political scientist Virginie Martin writes, France's president is once again trying to please all parties, showing compassion for the victim one day and on the next, siding with the police and blaming the riots on video games and lax parents. After the pension-reform crisis, Macron's hot and cold rhetoric and calls for appeasement are unlikely to land well. Meanwhile, sociologist François Dubet argues that the next police blunder and riots are only a matter of time unless the government halts the ghettoisation process that has unfolded in France over the past decades. To understand the phenomenon of France's banlieues, Ana María Iglesias Botrán offers a selection of French films to watch. From the cult La Haine (1995), which follows three disaffected youths, to the more recent Les Miserables (2019) and Retour à Reims (2021), French cinema has captured in vivid and heart-breaking detail the segregation and violence that the country's disadvantaged citizens often endure. Or perhaps you would like to start your cinematic journey into European politics with Silvio Berlusconi's Italy? A few weeks after the death of il Cavaliere, Fabrice De Poli writes that Paolo Sorrentino's Oscar-winning 2013 film, La Grande Belleza, captured the broad – and decadent – themes of Berlusconism. In yet another article related to the Italian right, a team of researchers from the universities of Milan (Italy), Salamanca (Spain) and Thessaloniki (Greece) have looked at how their countries' media depicted migrants from 2015 to 2019, in particular the hate speech that refugees suffer all too often. Those seeking to understand the phenomenon of global heating will at some point need to get their heads around El Niño. Manoj Joshi, a professor in climate dynamics at the University of East Anglia, gives us the tools to do so here, as experts warn that 2024 could mark the year when global temperatures rise 1.5C above pre-industrial levels. Did you know that blood-hungry flies – such as tsetse and horseflies – are attracted to the colour blue? I didn't. Experts have long intuited this, successfully deploying an array of azure traps, but until now could not pin down the reason why. Enter AI.  - Natalie Sauer, head of the English section for The Conversation France   How the death of Nahel M. inflamed an already embattled France As on other issues, when it comes to working-class neighbourhoods, Emmanuel Macron has failed to find the path to a common project. Was this email forwarded to you? Join the hundreds of thousands of people who subscribe to email newsletters from The Conversation. Subscribe now. Recap Films to help understand the French riots Criminals, terrorists and freeloaders: how migrants are portrayed in the European media El Niño could push global warming past 1.5℃ – but what is it and how does it affect the weather in Europe?   For the curious Biting flies are attracted to blue traps – we used AI to work out why How La Grande Bellezza captured Italy’s Berlusconi era   Podcast Researchers are constantly pushing at the edges of human knowledge. In a global podcast from The Conversation, Dan Merino and Nehal El-Hadi get leading scientists and scholars to connect new discoveries with the biggest trends, ideas and issues of today. New episodes every Thursday. Follow wherever you get your podcasts. Recommended newsletters for you Global, best of the network, twice a week. Curated by the executive editors. Give it a go Imagine, deep dives in possible climate actions. Give it a go       The Conversation is an independent source of news and views, sourced from the academic and research community and delivered direct to the public. You are receiving this email because you have signed up to a weekly newsletter about Europe from The Conversation.   From: Natalie at The Conversation Sent: Thursday, July 06, 2023 2:02 PM Subject: The spark that lit the fire

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