Rentre bien

Yesterday I took part in a demonstration.

I was on my way to get the metro to the Daumier exhibition at the Bibliotheque Nationale by way of the rue du Bac, when I heard some interesting noises: whistles, shouting. I could see the banners in the distance. I knew what it was. It was a manif.

I've taken part in manifs myself, but they're not common in the UK any more. The February 2003 anti-Iraq war demo* aside, public political demonstration has more or less stopped being a way for Brits to express their political opinions. The demos I went to in the late 80s and early 90s seemed like a last gasp, and not a very healthy one.

In France, they're very much alive. The last time I got close to a manif in Paris was the anti-CPE demonstration outside the Sorbonne two years ago. There were lots of police, heavily armed, waiting for something to go wrong. It was frightening and exciting in a way that only the tension before something physical happens can be. Today the police were at at safe distance. I was apprehensive, approaching the demonstrators. Was there a reason for this? But members of the public were walking calmly toward and through the group; 6eme mamies in Ramosport raincoats and smart shoppers with bags from Le Bon Marche. Then, as got closer, I could see. It was a demonstration by librarians.

Having gained confidence in the wake of the vague rouge or red wave - the power-swing to the left in the elections municipales earlier this week, the French left has gained the confidence to step up demonstrations against the Bling-Bling presidency.

It's the vulgarity of the Sarkozy government's aims protesters seem to be most offended by: his departure from traditional French values of state-sponsored cultural activity. I see a placard saying On est pas chez Disney! (This isn't Disneyland!).

The strikers are mostly middle aged, or older. More than half of them are women. They work for the services culturelles. They are dressed smartly but sensibly in black. Some of them have arty scarves and hats.

They're not a naturally noisy crowd. A lot of the noise comes from a big sound system and many of the demonstrators have whistles. There is a speech then a woman gets up and sings Cotillard-style into the microphone. They shout, A Versailles, à Versailles! (a historial joke - they have been joined by a group from the museum of Marie Antoinette's former residence). Mostly they shout, Ren-tre, rent-re, ren-tre RGPP! (take back the RGPP, or the proposed reforms to rationaliser government services). It rhymes, but does't quite scan, the first R being swallowed to make the slogan fit.

A man dresseds as Asterix wanders through the crowd, part of a delegation from the Syndicat de Recherche Archologicale. One banner says, Archives sacrificées; Memoire Menacée (Libraries sacrificed, Memory Threatened) and I wonder how many of the participants are themselves walking archives, old enough to remember the Paris demonstrations of 1968.

The delegates from CGT or General Union of Workers who have the word, Socialiste on their banners have stickers with the words, Casse-toi, pauvre con. These are the words which president Nicolas Sarkozy ill-advisedly spoke to a handshake refusenik at an agricultural show last month (the equivalent of the Queen telling the winner of the best cake at a village fayre to piss off because she hadn't called her Ma'am).

During the anti-CPE riots, a piece of graffiti said, Paris réveille-toi, la Commune est là (Wake up, Paris, the Commune is here). Maybe yesterday's demonstrators could write, Wake up, the people who know about the Commune are here.

(*I don't think the Iraq demo can be defined as a political demonstration in quite the same way as it was crucially not aligned to any union or political party but brought together many very disparate groups working pragmatically for the same end).

Comments

[nancy]

funny i just happened upon the manif for the physically handicaped...
nancy

[badaude]

Where was that? What happened?

[nancy]

really i just got the tail end of it, according to their placards (because i am not pretending that i actually know....) they get something like 630 euros a month to live off and sarkozy had promised them a 25% increase and in the end only raised it by 5%. tisk tisk