The art of Protesting in France // L'art de manifester en France

8/2/2019 The art of Protesting in France // L'art de manifester en France

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Gabriel Gaure

Lart de manifester en FranceThe art of protesting in France


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France and protests go back a long way.

Te most well-known are those that emerged orm the 1968 movements,which deeply changed the way the French youth has been educated. Te rst demandwas that men could access the girls dormitories in the University o Nanterre. Teconsequences were unexpected. And the movement grew, changed into a generalconrontation against the political and economical establishment, the protests got big-ger and bigger. Barricades were raised in Paris.Te result? Within 1969, a President had to quit, minimum wage was raised by 35%,general wages to 10%, a ourth week o paid leave was enacted and the universitiescurriculum was deeply transormed. Society itsel was also deeply changed, and eventoday, people are dened by which side they were on when the barricades where up.Feminist movements got stronger, as the contraceptive pill appeared during the sameperiod, even though abortions were still considered illegal at that time in France (Te

Veil law, in 1975, will make it legal and backed up by Social Security).

But France isnt just about big protests: It is also about small groups, ghting to keeptheir jobs or or illegal immigrants, or denounce the high prots o companies that layo parts o their workorce.

In 2011, 3655 protests occurred in Paris, considered to be the capital o protests inFrance. O those 10 protests that happen every day, very ew gather more that 5000people.

Each and every demonstration is to reported to the Preecture de Police, who then dis-patches polices ocers accordingly. Plainclothes members o the DCRI (Direction Cen-trale des Renseignements Gnraux, a French intelligence agency directly reporting tothe Ministry o Interior), keep a close eye on demonstrations o any size, oen mergingwith the protesters, and knowing some personally. Tey are usually considered by theunions to be part o the game and these ocers dont even wear guns or handcus.

Protesting in France is a constitutional right, we have no right to either give out orreuse permission comments Alain Gibelin, head o the DOPC (the Direction de lordrepublic et de la circulation, is the administration in charge o handling all trac relatedevents, including protests).

But what is the state o this tradition, on spring 2012, a ew weeks beore the presiden-tial election? Tis project is a snapshot o this moment , showing that besides the classicwalking rom point A to point B demonstration, dierent orms o contestation haveemerged.

24th March 2012, Pour le droit lemploi pour toutes et tous!Demonstration or the right to be employed

From Place de la Bourse to Place de Stalingrad.

Organized by SUD Solidaires, the protest gathered up people rommany dierent entities, such as construction workers, postmen,

various actory workers, journalists, and unemployed individuals.

Enough ! Tat is what millions o working, unemployed andretired people say. Tis cry o revolt has to change itsel into ahope to undamentally change things. Lets take matters in our

own hands!So that we can all work, shorter hours, better and dierently!


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76Smoke Canisters are oen by actory workers to arm their presence.


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What the people gets, the people takes!. Famous quote like this one by Louise Michel, an 19th centuryanarchist, have been used over and over again or years by rench protesters.

Freedom, Equality, Solidarity Te national French motto (Freedom, equality, Fraternity) isoen reused and changed by protesters.


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A young woman rom theJolies Mmes theatre group waves a red fag at Stalingrad square,n northern Paris. Artists are oen invited to demonstrations to liven up the atmosphere.

I didnt have anyone to keep an e ye on her and both my husband and I wanted to goto the protest, so I decided to bring her in ! Explains this young mother.


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13125000 protesters arrived on Stalingnrad square, in northern Paris.


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1514Te railway union is one o the most powerul in France.


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We are at the rontline o what happens right now in our country, and some o us are getting laid oor no reason as well ! Daniel works at an unemployement oce in northern France. His shirt readsPrisoners o work... die early!

Various are oen used to show there line o work. Tis fag is to signiy the presence o maternityward nurses.


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Place de la Bourse, where the protest started, is also home o the oces o the Agence France Presse. Tedecline o press in France has resulted in massive amounts o pe ople getting laid o, and newspapers dispa-rearing.

As demonstrations usually start around midday, unions organize barbecues that serve merguez(spicy sau-sage) sandwiches served with onions and mustard.O Five ood outlets were presnt this day on square, thiswas the only ocial one, with prots going back to the Railway Union.


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6th April 2012, the arrival in Paris of the Marche pour lacier( Te Iron Walk )

On the 28th o March, 20 workers o the Arcelor-Mittal iron actoryo Florange, in Lorraine, eastern France, set out or a very long walktowards Paris.Earlier in the year, Nicolas Sarkozy promised he would save the actoryrom closure, with or without Mittal .As nothing concrete seemed to happen, 200 o the workers set out orParis, to protest in ront o Nicolas Sarkozys campaign HQ. Te milita-ry riot police, with tear gas and batons, welcomed them violently, eventhough the goal o the demonstration was peaceul. Nicolas Sarkozylater called them voyous, thugs.

o prove him wrong, 20 o them decided to walk rom the actory inFlorange to Paris, which is 350 km. Teir walk ended at the Eiel tower,which was built with iron rom Lorraine.

Te letter sent by the walkersto their supporters.

Members o Marseilles Railway Union are serving Pastis, a typical beverage rom southeast France.


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2322Te walkers are being greeted by other members o the actory in Paris.


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Lorraines iron will live has become a rallying cry or the whole region, where hundreds o thou-sands o jobs could be indirectly at stake i the actory closed. Iziblue, a military surplus companybased in the region provided the walkers with their now iconic grey sweatpants, and orange coats.

It is essential to support such an important movement, a symbol o Nicolas Sarkozys lie. Te necessity to backup our nations industry is also vital comments Manuel Valls, MP or the Socialist Party, Mayor and Senator. Po-liticians are well aware o the impact that their presence might have on public opinion when seen at such events.


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Were here guys, we made it !Te walkers are cheering as they walk down the streets o Paris.

One o the walkers is supported by his colleagues as he is on the verge o collapsing. Aer walking 350 km in8 days, signs o exhaustion are starting to appear.


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March 31st, 2012. Counter protest against Catholic extremists

around the Tenon Hospital, 20th district.

Since September 2011, catholic extremists have gathered seven timesin ront o the Hospital enon, to protest against the abortions thatare being perormed in the clinic.On March 31st, a pro-choice neighbourhood association and decidedto take matters in their own hands and organize a peaceul demons-tration to show their disapproval. Te main legal point that the pro-choice have is that the Catholics pray in the streets, which is orbid-den since 2011 in France.

topped counting my blisters, there are way too many o them. It eels so go od to be nally here, moraleeally high. People called us crazy, saying we would never get there. But were here! Its a peace ul revenge

er the way we were welcomed at Sarkos HQ. We managed to get there thanks to the mayors who helped usthe way, giving us ood and shelter within their community. We saw a truly beautiul France on the wayre.


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3130Womens Rights in Danger, no to hospital closures !


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A prayer is led by a priest in ront o the enon hospital. When challenged about the actthat is illegal, one anti-abortionist answers replies: But we are good Catholics, c alling onGod to protect the lives o innocent children.

I am an atheist, uck you ! France is one o the countries with the most non-believers in Europe.Slogans like I Mary had known o abortion, we wouldnt be in all that mess! resonate around the hospital.


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adies, members o the Front de Gauche, a ar-le party gaining importance on the political scene ine, are wearing hats with sewing needles. Tis type o needles are the symbol o illegal abortions, andhe pro-choice activists ear it would come back to i the catholic activists managed to get abortion

s to close.

Get your rosaries o our ovaries ! Various NGOs took part in the protest, like Act-Up Paris, which is er-cely ghting or support o Aids patients by the government, as well as womens rights.


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April 10th, 2012.Apritif Pour fter les 16 millions de Maurice Lvy.

A drink to celebrate Maurice L vys 16 million euros bonus.

Publicis is the most successul ad agency in France generating massiveprots. Its boss, Maurice Lvy, received a bonus o 16 million euros.Publicis is also known or hiring a lot o interns, using them as a cheapworkorce. Gnration Prcaire is an NGO dedicated to denounce theadvantages that big groups and companies get rom hiring cheap, youngand needy labor. Te heads o the group also asked all the employees tosign a petition in support o Maurice Lvy.Gnrations Prcaire then decided to celebrate Maurices bonus, with

champagne and party accessories, in ront o the head oce, avenue desChamps-Elyses.

Te call or participation

Te association Sauvons les Riches (Save the Rich) also took part in the action. Teyusually try and come up with theatrical ways o denoucing the actions o some CEOs owealthy groups. Te shirt reads I am rich but getting treament.


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3938Protesters throw ake bills in the air, symbolizing the 16 millions euros bonus.


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wo protester enjoy some cheap champage under a rain o party avors, waiting or representative romerent unions to come back rom a talk with Human Resources workers rom Publicis. Karima Delli, an Europe Ecologies-Les Verts (Green Party) MP, shows o the bills. Green party

members seem to enjoy more reedom in their ac tions and are oen involved in such protests.


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hope Maurice Lvy appreciates what we are doing or him says Jrme, member oGnrations Prcaire.e white mask is oen worn by members o the association, symbolizing the silent masses o interns andderpayed youths that work in big corporations.

Aer the meeting, Human ressources admitted that there was a slight discomort in the size o the bonus.Another source o discomort lies also in the act that all o the employees o the group were stronglyrecommended to sign a letter o support or the CEO, in order to justiy the size o the bonus.


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The art of Protesting in France // L'art de manifester en France

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