I agree - French and European society in general is a wonderful and vibrant and generally libertarian environment but its teetering on the brink of something sinister here. My point is that you can feel oppressed in a democracy too, when you are part of a minority which suffers prejudice and mistreatment, you don't feel free to walk safely at night, travel on public transport etc. There are plenty of people living in democracies who don't feel free......