80,000 people demonstrating for freedom -- and nothing in the Western press?

Where did this take place?

The Mideast?

An oppressed Third World kleptocracy?

Think again!

The demonstration -- by libertarians protesting a near-total shutdown in services by government-unions -- was in France! (A government, by the way, which covers up its own wrongdoing while pushing for digital censorship. [Via InstaPundit.])

Are the French almost as ready for freedom as the Iraqi people?

Sabine Herold, Editor and spokeswoman for Liberté j'écris ton nom (Liberty, I Write Your Name), expected only 5000 to 10,000 people to show up at the big libertarian rally, and yet there were 80,000! The following are excerpts taken from Ms. Herold's interview in The Atlasphere:

I think one of the problems in France is that libertarians are only focused on economic issues. That is not the most important thing. Of course, I think it's really important to be economically libertarian. But what is really the basis of a free society is the idea that people should be free to decide for themselves in any area — that means economically, but also in social issues, moral issues, or any issue. The economy is important but it's not the whole of it.

Also, economics is something that is very boring for many people. I think if you want to touch many people, you should not speak in an economic way — you should tell them about values.

...

[I]n France right now there's actually a political debate about whether civil servants should be paid depending on what they're doing and whether they're good or bad. Some people, especially the unions, are simply opposed to that; they think that when you're in public service, your level of productivity shouldn't be considered. To me that makes no sense. If a civil servant is not efficient, there's no reason to keep paying him. (Pause.) France is still a communist country.

On US French relations:

TA: You mentioned that perhaps some of the opposition to the war was based on anti-Americanism. Where do you think this anti-Americanism stems from?

Herold: Well, I find it very weird, because America helped us twice in the two World Wars, and we have the same culture — the two of us are based on individual freedom and have the same values. So it's strange. Maybe it's because France would like to be more than it is now. It's really complicated. I think it's a kind of love-hate relationship.

TA: I know some people accuse the United States of so-called "cultural imperialism," which basically means that France imports American movies and television shows and other products, and there's a worry that the French culture will change and be diluted and corrupted and so forth. What are your thoughts about that argument?

Herold: I think no one is forced to eat at McDonalds or to go watch American movies. The people get what they want. Those very big Hollywood movies — every one the French people want to see. So they can do what they want. You can't force the people to go to see French films if they don't want to.

Why is it that the major media in this country only tell us about the bad things in the world?

If freedom is good enough for Iraq, why isn't it good enough for Chirac?