Music

Courtney Love attacked by anti-Uber protesters

by Jeremy Mersereau

The French people have a long history of violently protesting to highlight injustice and get what they want, and to people from elsewhere it can seem strange, inspiring, and downright terrifying… mostly depending on their political stripe. The average North American who has been conditioned to think this kind of thing is crazily over the top and counterproductive would rather just not get involved, and if they do, it’s not going to matter since we’re generally unwilling to get serious. “Will there be wifi at Occupy? It’s great to be out here, making a difference.”

This time, French taxi drivers are incensed at San Francisco-based Uber, whose taxi app is comparatively unrestricted and seen as dangerous to their livelihoods (and they’re right about that: France’s licensed taxi drivers have lost between 30-40% of their income due to Uber, according to a representative of France’s FTI taxi union). Damn these tech companies, can’t they stop disrupting paradigms for one second!? Taxi drivers and their supporters have sparked a nationwide strike, blocking major arterial roads and burning tires in the street.

Courtney Love got a firsthand taste of the French style of protest, as she was caught right in the middle of the whole thing. According to her, protesters attacked her car and held her driver hostage while she escaped into another car… which was promptly attacked. Huh, go figure: anti-authority icon instantly becomes a martinet once she’s personally inconvenienced. Apparently Kanye may have been somewhere near the action as well.

OK, I take it back, that does sound scary as hell. Of course, if Courtney had tweeted to François Hollande’s official Twitter account, @fhollande, he no doubt would have personally swept in and saved the day.