It's more than a little amusing how the rest of the world likes to lecture the United States about the 'dictator' Donald Trump, as they continue to cancel elections, imprison people for free speech, and impose other draconian restrictions on their citizens (while letting Islamic immigrants run wild).
From Germany to Romania to the United Kingdom, the West in Europe sure seems to be rapidly falling, with a few bastions of sanity like Italy and Poland still standing up for freedom and national pride.
But leave it to the French to try to enter the authoritarian fray in the silliest way possible, and one that is sure to backfire on them BIGLY.
Yesterday, Agence France-Presse announced that France would soon be imposing smoking bans.
This came as a surprise to us, since we naturally assumed that smoking was already banned in most buildings in Western nations, until we noticed that France is going a step further.
They are banning smoking OUTDOORS.
#BREAKING France to ban smoking outdoors in most places: minister pic.twitter.com/8Kpy9KCxZN
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) May 29, 2025
Yep. We're sure that will go over just swimmingly with the citizens of France.
AFP offered some additional details:
#UPDATE France will ban smoking in all outdoor places that can be frequented by children, like beaches, parks and bus stops, the health and family minister said in an interview published on Thursday. pic.twitter.com/W239pHoaW2
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) May 29, 2025
Catherine Vautrin, France's Minister of Labour, Health, Solidarity, and Families, offered the following justification:
The ban will come into force on 1 July and will include beaches, parks, public gardens, outside schools, bus stops and sports venues.
'Tobacco must disappear where there are children,' Vautrin said in an interview published by Ouest-France daily.
Vautrin added that 'the freedom to smoke must end where the freedom of children to breathe fresh air begins.'
There is absolutely zero scientific evidence to support the idea that smoking outdoors where children might be around causes 'secondhand smoke' damage, so this ban isn't about health. It's only about one thing: forced behavior modification.
Vautrin confirmed this when she announced that police would enforce the bans, but she was counting on the French people to self-police themselves.
Uhhh, yeah. About that ...
Uhhh, has anyone talked to… the French about this? https://t.co/lzrupOCr9G
— Mary Katharine Ham (@mkhammer) May 29, 2025
The French LOVE to smoke. It is practically part of their national identity.
This France? pic.twitter.com/Kd0ZwaDYYc
— InsolentPuppy (@_InsolentPuppy) May 29, 2025
I’ve never met a person from France that didn’t smoke.
— Deebs (@DeebsFLA) May 29, 2025
This should go over bien. https://t.co/kp1hNJtWE8
The good news is, it may spark another French Revolution.
What if this is the final straw that leads to the Sixth French Republic https://t.co/DGRSb3VahJ
— Trumpist Libertarian🇻🇦🐍🇺🇸🗽 (@Basedertarian) May 29, 2025
Maybe if you want to make a French omelet, you have to break a few œufs.
The French are expected to be less French?! Who’s pushing this nonsense? Illegals? pic.twitter.com/7oJhsvglX1
— Mama 🐻 Jess - Romans 1:16 🏵️ (@lizzyscardinal) May 29, 2025
That was our first suspicion, but we're pretty certain that illegals don't care about children (and most of them love to smoke, too).
No, this just seems like the authoritarian nanny state run amok.
le wokisme>le smokisme https://t.co/MQBORXBwuu
— numb_encore.exe (@mjanpw) May 29, 2025
https://t.co/KsBl9OvIas pic.twitter.com/Cpc4oX4jdV
— EUROPA CAMPEONES (@Perpetual_Jaded) May 30, 2025
We're expecting a huge backlash of people defying this ridiculous ban.
https://t.co/uoe7hQkuUN pic.twitter.com/E6Ll6Gkzwk
— Madam Pear (@pipandbaby) May 29, 2025
We can't wait for crowds of smokers to storm Le Palais de l'Élysée, singing La Marseillaise ... in very raspy, coughing voices.
this feels like something france would say if they were being held hostage https://t.co/m4trYvr4tk
— baty girl (@thefouchoe) May 29, 2025
From a certain point of view ... they ARE being held hostage.
This is the French equivalent of banning hamburgers. It's literally half of your national identity. https://t.co/g9VAWRW4qg
— Grant Hurst 🦬🇺🇲🇺🇦🇮🇱🇹🇼 (@GrantGHurst) May 29, 2025
Oh, there are plenty of people in the U.S. who want to ban hamburgers. Bill Gates, for one.
Fortunately, we have freedom of speech here, so we can mock PETA and the vegans relentlessly.
The strongest device to cover the horrid stench of the french is being BANNED?????????? https://t.co/yhgI9n7YAO
— mia (@malegirlboss) May 30, 2025
BAAAAHAHAHAHA.
Hey, we didn't say that French people are stinky. Mia did.
Waiting for videos of people burning cars and lighting cigarettes from the fire.
— Gustavo Rebello (@Gu_rebel) May 29, 2025
we all know how this ends pic.twitter.com/W6EtZ5un0J
— uɐɥdǝʇS (@StephanSturges) May 29, 2025\
Hopefully, they won't ask us for help again.
— Sam Osborne (@AlligatorTownie) May 29, 2025
Nope. Not gonna happen.
Sorry, France. The last time we came to your rescue, you responded by being snooty to Americans for the next 80 years.
This time, you're on your own.
But we WILL be rooting for you from across the pond against the woke tyrants who lead you. We might even light up a cigar in solidarity.
Bonne chance, résistance.
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