Where’s Waldo? Or as they say in France, “Ou est Charlie?”
Apparently he’s everywhere, avec les Gilets Jaunes……
Protests are an almost daily event in Paris. Some become violent and are met with overwhelming numbers of heavily armed and armoured riot police. Others garner the interest of only a few of the gendarmerie, and are otherwise largely ignored by the residents of the city.
On a cool Saturday in early February 2023, a group of self-described “Gilets Jaunes” gathered for a protest march from Place de la Bourse. Attendance was, to be kind, rather sparse. What they were protesting for or against was never entirely clear. The felt sense was one of ennui. Most of the protesters seemed to be simply going through the motions.
Many who joined the march, including one gentleman who was omnipresent in his yellow toque, appeared either tired, uninterested, or both. What did they achieve? I suppose a bit of exercise never hurts….
Merci Charlie.
