This week's demonstration was held by sex workers yesterday... They want the senate (in front of which the demonstration took place) to abolish a law that prohibits soliciting (in France, prostitution is not illegal, but soliciting is). Let's face it it's not a very popular cause and there were actually more journalists than sex workers at this demonstration, but still, I think it's pretty brave to do this. By the way, don't ask me why this guy's T-shirt is written in English, I swear I took this photo in Paris!
Hmm, sure you didn't pop over to the UK Eric to Soho?
ReplyDeleteInteresting demonstration. Did you get a free t shirt? lol.
The red umbrella and the red t-shirt, even without the English message, would call attention to the bearer. "Sex worker"...hmmm, seems like such a pedestrian term!
ReplyDeleteLOL Lynn, nope! I did not stay too long to be honest, just enough to take 20+ photos.
ReplyDeleteThe red umbrellas thing originates from Italy, and more precisely Venice, where prostitutes used red umbrellas for the 1st time during a demonstration in 2002.
Don't you ever sleep Eric? How could you always be at the right place, at the right time!:)
ReplyDeleteI'm truly amazed!
I've seen that on tv last night... few hours later... there you go, it's on PDP!:)
LOL. I do, but I try to stick to the news!
ReplyDeleteThe red is wonderful in the photo, the sexy colour is perfect against the black of the reporters; the questioners of their trade.
ReplyDeleteMaybe he was hoping nobody in the crowd could read Engrish???
ReplyDeleteThe other side probably says..."My Pimp Went to San Francisco and all I got was this lousy Sweatshirt"!! LOL!
The distinction between soliciting and not soliciting must make for some interesting court arguments. Is all advertising considered soliciting? Do customers just know where to go? Does the industry rely on word of mouth? (Oops...um... nevermind.)
ReplyDeleteCool colors in photo. There isn't such a fence in le Jardin du Luxembourg, so this must be on the north side. There's only a narrow sidewalk there. Or was this in front of the Assembly?
Jeff, yes, this is the fence around the Jardin du Luxembourg.
ReplyDeleteThe whole thing about soliciting is very hypocritical, because, like you say, it's difficult to know where it starts and where it stops.
Tonton, LOL on the lousy T-shirt!
very striking red man. forgive my ignorance but what does soliciting means?
ReplyDeleteyeah, love the red in the picture. It goes hand-and-hand with "red-light district" and "Moulin Rouge!"
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I don't know why societies can't realize that these people are performing a very valuable (and yes, very skilled) service and recognize it as such... but hey, that's just my opinion, I suppose.
Soliciting means advertising / offering services of a prostitutional nature, Pusa. i.e. it seems in Paris it is okay behind closed doors but not to be seen on the streets.
ReplyDeleteSoliciting is what solicitors do. (English term)
ReplyDeletehi lynn thanks =)
ReplyDeleteso that's what soliciting meant, because in our place soliciting means asking an establishment to give donation or fund for a cause or an event =)
It's probably in English for the same reason that this blog is written in English.
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