In the aftermath of the Hamas terrorist attack in southern Israel last year, no other European country has had more at stake than France since it’s “home to Europe’s largest Muslim and Jewish communities,” Reuters notes. 

The French government, however, has been perceived as openly hostile to the country’s 5-6 million Muslim citizens. 

For instance, following France’s controversial 2010 hijab ban, the French court ruled in August 2023 that wearing abayas — robe-like dresses worn by some Muslim women — would be banned in the nation’s school system. 

Which brings us to October 2023 when “Macron's interior minister [banned] pro-Palestinian protests, saying they were ‘likely to generate disturbances to public order,’” says Reuters. And the judiciary agreed… 

Thus, French law enforcement have used teargas and water cannons to break up protests. 

Regardless, as is happening in the U.S. today, student protests are erupting on university campuses across France. 

Macron says he finds it “legitimate, healthy and reassuring for young people to express that they are affected by international events and discuss them on this issue.”

Huh? 

At the same time, Macron favors the evacuation of protesting students “if requested by the university administrations.”

Way to wash his hands of the situation. 

Here stateside… 

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Your Rundown for Wednesday, May 8, 2024...

Wanna Get Away? 

“Students have rallied or set up tents at dozens of campuses in the United States in recent days to protest against Israel's war in Gaza, now in its seventh month,” says Reuters. 

Protestors are calling on President Biden, who has backed Israel, to take stronger action to halt violence in Gaza. They are also calling for schools to divest from companies that enable Israel's government policies.

Administrators at American universities aren’t budging; instead, many have called in law enforcement to disband protests and dismantle tent cities. 

Subsequently, “hundreds of college students across the U.S. have been arrested, and many suspended and expelled, for participating in pro-Palestinian protests,” NPR reports. 

But these displaced students have been offered assistance. From an unlikely source… 

Source: X

You can’t make this stuff up. 

What do you think, reader? Is the response — in the U.S. and abroad — to student protestors valid or just heavy-handed? Do you think displaced students will take Houthis up on their offer? 

We value your opinions.

Market Rundown for Wednesday, May 8, 2024

The S&P 500 is down 0.40% to 5,165. 

Oil is down 0.75% to $77.75 for a barrel of WTI. 

Gold, too, is down 0.25% to $2,318.70 per ounce. 

Bitcoin’s also in the red: down almost 2%, just under $62,000. 

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