Brian,
I think Roz was joking, not inciting to riots! The French do tend to protest. Protests can be also peaceful and do not mean to go in the street. May be doing a petition to the government against the increases is a form of protest, especially if you go to work every day and it costs you a fortune in fares. Writing to the Chancellor is another form of protest.
It costs me over 8-9 pounds every time I go to Central London to have medical treatment! Forest Hill is not that far to pay that sort of money, which in another city in Europe would cost only a couple of euros!
The French know how to get their government to do a Uturn about things they do not like. We don't and this is the problem.
Anyway a government should subside its transports infrastructure and be proud of it. There is money in this country, the only problem is that goes elsewhere or in the pockets of others.
Very few large countries in Europe would sell their railways to private organisations. There are strong unions over there as well. There are strikes too, but nothing gets to the stage that an ordinary person can no longer afford to travel because of the fares cost!
Anyway the economical crisis in Europe has been caused by other factors such as the wars since year 2002. All the rest came as a consequence.