Climbing onto a concrete pedestal, balancing on tiptoe, Lorie stretches her sign as high as possible. “And there, Macron, can you see my anger better?”, proclaims the piece of cardboard. On the right side, in very small letters, the saleswoman from Asnières (Hauts-de-Seine) has scribbled a broken heart. “That’s my state of mind at the moment: sorrow. Sorrow, because we are not respected,” says the 42-year-old mother, divorced, “two dependent children” and “paid at full wage, more than the minimum wage”.
This major day of demonstration on Saturday October 17, punctuated by violence, degradation and clashes with the police in several cities in France, has been two months since Lorie, with long hair down to her shoulders, checked it off in her diary. “I even postponed the last one’s birthday on purpose,” she says, walking up Boulevard Magenta, side by side with the other demonstrators. Positioned behind the banner, a police officer whispers: “The crowd is impressive.”
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From 2 p.m., Place de la République, the starting point of the procession, was packed. So full that orders were finally given not to let anyone in. But suddenly, a clamor: “There is a breach on rue Lucien-Sampaix!” shouts a young man, pointing in the direction with his arm. In the middle of rue René-Boulanger, a group of 30 high school students arrive to applause, clamors and a Marseillaise. On the sidewalk, Marie-Thérèse, 78, is almost moved. “At their age, I did May-68, I left my social worker school,” says the retiree, clapping her hands. “I find them even more enlightened than us at the time. They are completely aware of the issues.”
“My life is made up. Being there is telling them: 'Marie-Thérèse is with you, young people!'
Marie-Thérèse, 78-year-old protester
at franceinfo
Céline and Benoît also came “to support the youth”. On their signs, the message, written in marker, is clear: “Means for our kids”, “proud of our children”. "We are both parents of teenagers. When your 15-16 year old children tell you that they don't believe in the future, I promise you that it hits you in the gut. What can we answer them?" asks the 51-year-old mother.
In the compact crowd, a wide range of professions and demands are expressed. For high school and university students of course, but also on the price of fuel, purchasing power, law enforcement techniques, the rise of the extreme right... Irina, CPE in Oise, wants to denounce a "fed up with lots of things". Enis, 18, is looking for a job “in any field”. “But no one answers me,” he blurted out. He would like to buy a car, “but with what money?” Sofiane, 23, a security guard in Courbevoie (Hauts-de-Seine), would like to finally have her own apartment, but “it’s just not possible”.
Clémence had lots of ideas for slogans for this demonstration. The 27-year-old from Caen finally chose this: “Fewer consulting firms, more medical practices”. “I had health problems, and I saw what it was like to no longer have the means to take good care of people. When will the State open its eyes?” asks this human resources employee.
All along the 3.6 kilometers of march, to the Place de Clichy, end point of the demonstration, the same anger. Everyone has their own story, but we share a lot of issues. Along the route, the window of a health center has been renamed. Using paint, the “health emergencies” sign became “social emergency”.
“It’s not against, it’s for”
At Dynastie 7, a men's suit store, a salesman discreetly films through the window. At the Gare du Nord, tourists stop their wheeled suitcases in their tracks to observe the procession. “What is it against?” asks an Irish couple. “It’s not against, it’s for. For a future. A better future,” replies a high school student.
All day long, on the sidelines of the procession, hundreds of people played cat and mouse with the police or confronted them. Around Place de la République, the police responded to the throwing of projectiles with tear gas and charges or even by using water cannons. The Paris police headquarters has been clear: a ban on approaching places of power such as the Elysée and Matignon. This did not prevent two wild processions from forming. Demonstrators also managed to gather at the end of the afternoon at the bottom of the Champs-Elysées. And, in the streets of Paris, store windows were broken and businesses were looted or even set on fire.
Barbès-Rochechouart crossroads and boulevard de Clichy. Braided goatee, beret on his head, Franck came to Paris on purpose from the Somme. He has just received a video from his friends, who remained in Picardy. “They are on a roundabout, camping table, cooler, like in the era of the yellow vests,” he describes. “It started like that, right?”, he wants to recall. “We’ll see…”, thinks Enis, preparing to leave the procession. Friends told us there was no point in coming. But yes, it’s useful. I, from the Enis, have seen thousands of them today.
