Springtime Manifestation a Paris

Spring time in Paris? Not exactly. It has been quite cold of recent, but the sun was out and I decided to go for a walk. I thought I would head towards Place de la Republique and then over to Pere Lahaise Cemetery to pay my respects to Jim Morrison and Oscar Wilde. At Place de la Republique there was no traffic – rather it was being re-directed by les policiers. Not just a few police officers, but dozens. Something was going on and my curiosity got the better of me.

So, I headed down Rue Voltaire, following a crowd of people coming out of the metro station. Yes, it was obvious that this was some sort of “manifestation” or demonstration. I crossed the street and passed the police officers. I had no backpack so they let me pass, only to see a very large crowd ahead. Hundreds, and then thousands. Soon, I heard music and chanting and saw lots of young people in the streets and on the sidewalks. All of the shops were closed with only a few heads poking out of the doorways. The number of police – there must have been 8-10 on each corner on each side of the street and larger numbers at the public squares. I’m guessing there were several hundred police working this “special” event – so you can imagine the number of protestors.

Click on photos for a closer view

Nicolas Sarkozy is about as popular in France, especially with young people, as George W. is in the Bay Area. According to the flyer I received from a young lady, a member of the MJS – Mouvement des Jeunes Socialistes (Do we have any socialists left in the US? Or are we all consumed with capitalism?) the government has cut 11,000 teaching positions and wants to reduce some student benefits. In the U.S. we just accept what comes our way. The Supreme Court decides 5-4 that George W. Bush is president. Okay. A war in Iraq and a war in Afghanistan that is costing us hundreds of billions of dollars and forcing the price of gasoline higher and higher. Maybe I’ll consider a hybrid. But in France, people come out to protest. Place de la Republique always has police officers stationed on the streets because THIS is where people come on a regular basis to demonstrate.

With a mixture of curiosity and trepidation, I continued down Rue Voltaire amongst thousands of angry and excitable students. What the hell am I thinking getting into the middle of this madness? Oh, wait – Pourquoi pas? Why not? – my motto for this adventure. I was a foreigner in many ways. I am not French, I do not speak the language, I am much older than the average person and not one to casually join a protest. I was not “en colere” (angry) ,but here I was in the middle of the crowd, taking photos like a tourist and getting an adrenaline rush as the crowd would suddenly start running in my direction as the police moved in. In Spain, they run with the bulls. In Paris, I was running with the students.

My small bladder was getting the better of me – or perhaps it was the tear gas that made me sneeze and caused other people to cough and spit. As my first manifestation was coming to an end, I spoke with a guy (final photo, the one with the earphones, not the two covering their noses and trying to breathe) who inquired if I was an (undercover) police officer because I was taking photos. “Non, je suis tourist.” Then, he told me that in France “il n y’a pas les droites des hommes.” People have no rights he said – oh, and be careful or someone will try to steal your camera. What a sweet and polite young French protestor. Although he may not have had any rights, he at least was able to listen to his own music on his iPod while protesting. I love this city.

Time to head out - if I could get out, the police had blocked every intersection. Fortunately, after back-tracking several blocks, the street sweepers were coming, the shops were re-opening and life was returning to normal with people sitting at sidewalk cafes and drinking their coffee. Ah Paris in spring time.