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French Revolutionaries Blow Up Speed Cameras

After issuing screeds decrying "the owner State which robs its citizens," the Nationalist Revolutionary Army Faction (FNAR) has launched a campaign of direct action against speed cameras in the Paris region. So far they've destroyed six of the radar-based traffic-enforcement devices with crude explosive devices, and an attack on an installation near the village of Baillet-en-France was thwarted by a road-maintenance team who discovered a seventh bomb last Tuesday. The rulers tremble! [Times of London]

9:15 AM on Mon Dec 17 2007
By Murilee Martin
1,321 views
42 comments

Comments

  • I knew there was something about the French I loved.

  • Vive la Révolution!

  • Well..the Nationalist Revolutionary Army Faction...I have the feeling that they not only have problems with speed cameras with a name like that..

  • Just like the old days! But instead of hauling the traffic minister off to the guillotine, they'll have come up with something far worse, like a forced visit to Disney World Paris.

  • Bombs? Here I was thinking the French were so refined and everything. Her in 'murica, we gracefully take 'em out with a single shot from a .30-06

    I'm with 'em, though, whatever the method!

  • I normally cant stand the snooty french, but the whole ideal of going after speed cameras is pretty funny.

  • Is it time yet for a sequel to Les Miserables? I could get behind a musical about overthrowing an oppressive ministry of transportation.

  • Sacrebleu! I only wish more french cars could reach the speed limit...

  • Image of Dr.Danger is in Denial Dr.Danger is in Denial at 09:36 AM on 12/17/07 *

    @FLB: VIVA LA FRANCE!

  • Outstanding!!!!!!!!

    Sadly, it appears they are doing this for ranson, more than principles………. See link below.

    [www.timesonline.co.uk]

    @TheGuinnessTooth:

    Dammed right:

    [www.religionnewsblog.com]

  • Image of Dr.Danger is in Denial Dr.Danger is in Denial at 09:41 AM on 12/17/07 *

    Now they can zip around like Sebastien Loeb in their C4's

  • @clinto: What connections has a turban with post about speed cameras. Behave

  • Speed camera haters of the world, UNITE!

  • Image of danio3834 danio3834 at 09:59 AM on 12/17/07 *

    MY favorite way to destroy a speed camera is a tire filled with gasoline, then ignited.

  • For once, i support the French.

  • @Dr.Danger:

    Viva La France?

    Was that a special edition Vauxhall?

  • I don't think ransom is a smart move if you're looking to change things, it only exposes the their identity.

    I'm guessing these people are missing a few gears as well.

  • Hi guys, as you can see from nickname, I'm french

    We have a bit of history with speed cameras: at first, some where stolen, then they were nicely painted, stuff like that
    Today, some guys do this, I do not know their main reasons: money or fight for more logical speed limits

    We had very nice speed limits before things turned bad: 60km/h (~37 mph) in towns, 70 or 90 or 100 km/h (43 or 56 or 68 mph)on roads and 130 km/h (80 mph) on highways

    Then things got wrong:
    - at 1rst, they lowered the speed limits because everybody ws used to be from 10 to 20 km/h above them
    the goal was to have people driving at the earlier limits, so 60 became 50, and so on except for highways

    - but then, we still had a pretty high mortality rate (actually more because of alcohol and drugs than because of speed, all the experts agree on this)
    so they decided to use "tolerance 0" (not even 1km/h above the limit is now allowed)
    but the given limits are way too low to make these acceptable

    The result is that keeping your license has become a real struggle (and pain in the somewhere)
    Many people lose their license and keep driving without it because, well, no work no pay

    The guys that use to drive fast when drunk still do but the honest people who just drove like 6 times at 51km/h lose their license
    It has become insane

    So I'm not supporting these "revolutionary" guys, because if they ask money, then they definately have nothing "revolutionary" in them, but I do support any kind of way to raise speed limits to a more suitable level

  • It seems to me that a 30-06 slug would be a cheaper and more efficient means of destroying the camera.

  • blah blah blah, stereotype, blah blah blah, "freedom fries", blah blah blah, amphibian reference, blah blah blah, WWII reference.

    That should cover the bases on responses.

  • Honestly, you could probably make a pretty sweet explosive out of model rocket engines, CO2 canisters, epoxy and some cans of carb cleaner... which would probably only cost you about $2, but that would be to ensure that they couldn't just spend $10 to replace a power supply or broken wire, etc to fix the camera. A .30-06 round is pretty powerful, but I think were talking about a little more machine than you guys think....

  • I hate to stereotype, so I refuse to buy freedom fries. But then again, where would the frogs be if not for D Day?

  • Oh, and about that last comment the preparation is pretty easy, but it would also be pretty easy to blow off half your body... let alone a hand or something if you didn't know what you were doing... so be careful and don't combine those items kids.

  • @Frost Face:
    Oh I think a 50-cal sniper rifle would make short work of anything short of a block of lead.


  • @parramore46: And where would we be if not for the American revolution that the French made possible for us to win?

    Anyways, I've always had a secret adoration for the French. When they don't like something they do something about it.

  • Image of Jonny Lieberman Jonny Lieberman at 11:36 AM on 12/17/07 *

    @danio3834: That's very French of you

  • If the cameras fight back, the French, they will run!

  • At least they're not burning people's cars like they did last year.

  • I can assure you a lot of my french "compatriotes" don't agree with this group... at least for one reason I think : one speed camera blown up cost 70 000 euro to... well, to us actually (the french I mean). Oh and also the ransom (WTF ????)

  • Image of NovaloadMissesPolar NovaloadMissesPolar at 12:34 PM on 12/17/07 *

    @TheLostFrog: Welcome! And thanks for giving us some background on this.
    Perhaps in true French style, the drivers could form a union and then close all the roads with a strike?


  • Steve Martin in The Jerk:

    "He hates these cans! Stay away from the cans!"

  • Image of Rust-MyEnemy is stll out there! Rust-MyEnemy is stll... at 12:48 PM on 12/17/07 *

    The peasants are revolting. Why can't they shower?

  • @NOVALOAD: Yes, that wouldn't be a bad idea at all
    unfotunately, we have to forget about it: too many people want the limits to remain as they are

    Anyway, some serious attempts to get our government's attention are made (I don't count these FNAR guys as one, of course)
    Politicians talk, some experts also do, pointing at the fact that 10km/h more or less do not have a great impact on mortality rates, but lcoholism and drugs definately do
    And they're right: how can you imagine even getting hurt when you're driving your airbags equiped car at 37mph with your safety belt on? (else than because of frontal collisions without braking at all, which is pretty rare if not under some influence)

    The final problem here is just this one:
    Government needs money
    As everywhere else n the globe, people die on the raods
    So the government gets money by drastic speed limits

    That may sound smart, at least to a 5 year old kid, but experts all say that the REAL reasons of road mortality isn't speed
    Speed is only a factor increasing these risks

    Most people are reasonable persons and you don't see people racing everywhere like there was some time ago, so most of the gain that reducing speed limits could offer is already behind us
    Lowering these limits more, or getting half the country without a job because they just can't drive to it will merely add a 2% bonus

    Ok, 2% when we're talking about lives isn't that bad after all, but that also means many "good" people lose their license and see their entire familly sent back to the stone age WHILE 98% of the deaths still occur... and not munch, really not munch at all, is made to try and reduce these 98%

    In other words, who cares about dead people? Not munch
    But who cares about money? Definately our government
    Don't get me wrong, we need money, but come on: where taking people's jobs ever gave money to a government?

    As you can see, this is a pretty cheesy situation...

  • @TheLostFrog: The politicians in Sweden make France to a good example in this issue. I think this will spread all over the EU.

  • speed cameras = Big Brother

    however, explosives and guns are not usually the best means of solving the problem. Kicking out the politicians who came up with this kind of repressive crap is the only way to solve the situation. The French used to be good at kicking out political dimwits, but i think they've become complacent over time ... as have the Americans.

    @RUST-MYENEMY, SMOKEYDOG001: How very original. Have you been living under a rock your entire life, or do you simply display your ignorance & lack of wit for our entertainment?

  • I KNEW THEE WAS A GOOD REASON TO HATE THE BRITISH MORE THAN THE FRENCH. (FROM AN AUSTRALIAN PERSPECTIVE. WE HATE THE BRITS MORE THAN FRENCH ANYWAY)

    THE BRITS ARE THE ONES WHO INVENT THESE NANNY STATE REVENUE AIDS.

    YEAH, CAPS ALL THE WAY BITCH!

  • Why not just stick some of the worst photos on the internet over the lenses of the cameras? I think getting several speeders that look oddly like [insert terrible internet photo here] would be pretty discouraging. Doesn't damage the property, but someone does have to go out and get it off.

  • @danio3834: That was known as a 'Soweto Necklace'....

  • By the way, how many of you have ever driven in France? They do go fast, for sure, and appear competent. Still the accident/death rate is app. twice that of Scandinavia.

  • sacre' bleu! thats farking awesome!

  • In France, you explode traffic camera. In Soviet Russia, traffic camera explode you.

  • @ MY FAVORITE CAR IS A MOTORCYCLE
    "The French used to be good at kicking out political dimwits,...." Ignorance? The last "political dimwit" kicked out was Louis XVI! Try putting your training wheels back on, you must be brain damaged.


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