Socialism in Europe is finally destroying the Old World

France is burning for the second time in a year as student protesters ravage the country over new employment legislation. Antoil Ethuin, a Paris shopkeeper, remarked in tears that his “country is broken”. Hundreds of thousands of young people are protesting the new law that allows contract hiring. I find it quite hilarious actually; the French love to look down at the social “inequalities” across the pond. When was the last time Canada was torn apart by student or immigrant riots? The idea that Europe is more socially stable and tolerant than North America is one of the more prevalent myths of our times. In Rotterdam for instance, skinhead and immigrant gangs fight each other in running gun battles. Holland has been forced to tighten immigration practices due to a literal spilt in the social fabric of the nation between native Dutch and the Muslim immigrant population.

France not only faces minority and student unrest, but a horrifying rise in anti-Semitic and anti-Islamic hate crimes. The recent riots in the immigrant suburbs were not the first, nor the last riot driven by social inequality in France. In 1968, rioting students brought France to the brink of Marxist revolution. In March of last year, about a thousand French students peacefully protesting education reform were attacked by gangs of black and Arab youths, who promptly and proudly told the media present that they were getting back at the “little whites”. Of course, this event was grossly underreported in the North American media. Political correctness it seemed, had reached a new low. It wasn’t until the fall suburbs riots in France did the world get a full glimpse of what Europe has become.

In France, there are two groups that have become socially alienated: young people and immigrants. Many people blame the alienation on capitalism and “the white man” in the case of the lack of minority integration. However, all evidence points to the socialist system as the main culprit. Europe as a whole has become a withering, stagnate society. Government has become so bloated that an event like our Sponsorship scandal is an everyday occurrence in some European countries. France represents what the welfare state has done to the Old World.

Excessively high taxes pay for a corpulent welfare system, while at the same time stifling economic growth. It doesn’t take a Bay Street economist to figure out that system can’t last forever. Overly generous welfare and health benefits have caused a fiscal crisis that has kept the budget deficit far above the European Union’s stated limit. In essence, it has become a society of freeloaders. There is a mandatory 35 hour work week, and annual vacation can be up to eight weeks. Where is the incentive to work?

France’s economic growth is miniscule compared to Canada or the US or even ex-communist states that have embraced capitalism with open arms. For example, Estonia has a growth rate of 7.1% compared to just 1.5% in France. For a supposed western economic and military powerhouse in the age of globalization, 1.5% is a disaster. Labor laws has brought the job market to a stand still. The unemployment rate is at 10%, with minorities and youth suffering disproportionably. Unions have massive power in France; their support makes or breaks political parties. Employers lack the ability to hire or fire because of the influence the corrupt unions wield. To put it simply, there are no available jobs, and an entire generation is suffering from the “equality” of the French welfare state. The new legislation allowing contract hiring for young workers was designed to boost employment, instead it was understood by students as just another sign of oppression.

Immigrants in France and the rest of Europe are not just victims of racism; they are victims of a welfare state taken too far. 26% are unemployed, and the rate is only higher for minority youth, especially Muslims. Some have blamed capitalism for the fall suburbs unrest, but why isn’t our immigrant Islamic population rising up to crush their oppressors? There are opportunities here in Canada, in fact, we can’t get enough immigrants. Rural communities and Alberta need immigrants the most, and I say we completely liberalize our immigration policies. Anyone can build a successful life in North America because of our economic freedoms- the same kind of freedoms that have been trampled in Europe. Canada may be a semi-welfare state, but at least we embrace the free market, something that the French left wing governments have been fighting for decades- largely thanks to the influence the Communist Party had during the Cold War.

The rioting students just don’t seem to realize what the real source of their plight is. It is not labor reforms, it is the very system they are tearing their country apart to protect.