Monday, March 25, 2013

Tough demonstration


There was a pretty big demonstration in Paris this weekend. Protesters were only allowed to go from La Défense to the top of Avenue de la Grande Armée (a straight line), but not until Place de l'Etoile and even less on the Champs Elysées (in France anybody has the right to demonstrate, but you must first ask for a "permit" and tell the Police which way you intend to go, prior to marching). Of course, demonstraters did not stick to the permit and... invaded the Champs Elysées. The situation got really tense and for the first time in my life I experimented tear gas! But it allowed me to take this photo which I'm proud of ;-) 

23 comments:

  1. Oh Eric, do be careful out there! I'd just die if you got hurt taking photos for us.

    ~ET Suzy

    ReplyDelete
  2. I just read about the demonstration and immediately switched to PDP to comment on it: and here is your photo of the event. It saddens me that there is so much bigotry still, here and there. Maybe soon we'll run out of groups to hate and fear and blame for problems. Imagine...

    ReplyDelete
  3. Fantastic, Eric. In situations like this, I would be heading in the other direction.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oh, no. They did not tear gas our Eric! Someone needs to go all Lima Heights on those guys.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I'll point to the white elephant, M Armstrong. It was not a demonstration against austerity measures. It was a demonstration against the law going through the approval process that will allow gays and lesbians to be married and have all the rights of other people. The anti group brought in hundreds of people by bus, then violated the route permit to bring the demonstration into the Champs Elysee. They tried to get to the president's house (similar to our White House) and that is when the tear gas was used. Can you imagine a large group of anti-gay protesters trying to storm the White House?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No Jeff, can't imagine this in the States. Don't agree with the demonstrators on this particular topic, but was happy to see the French (widely believed to spend their time moping and being depressed about life in general,) can still take to the streets when something is important to them, and will stand up to the government.

      Delete
  6. (Clarification: Not calling M Armstrong a white elephant. Just pointing to the white elephant in the room: that it was an anti-gay demonstration)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Sad to hear about this kind of demonstration. Your photo catches the moment and mood well, Eric.

    ReplyDelete
  8. You should definitely be proud of this photo, Eric! I have to contrast this demonstration with the bachelor party my daughter Lila went to Saturday night for her good friend (since kindergarten!) Brian, who is marrying his fiancé, Dan, in a couple of weeks. Right now I'm very happy for Brian and Dan—and very proud to live in New York.

    ReplyDelete
  9. If I was still at La Defense, I would have seen it!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I look forward to a day when all types of discrimination are not only outlawed, but gone from the hearts and minds of people everywhere.

    Until then, Eric, allow me to echo the others: take care of yourself. You have a world full of friends, and I, for one, value you even more than I value your photos.

    ReplyDelete
  11. That sounds scary! Stay safe, Eric! (I hope that while you were out you were able to hear the new bells of Notre Dame. I heard them on the radio and they sounded wonderful!)

    ReplyDelete
  12. That really is an amazing photo. Of course theirs is a lost cause -- you can not support the denial of civil rights even in the name of religion.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Eric: A dramatic angle! It helps communicate the "power" of the police. Love the flag.

    I photographed the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago and got tear gasses. There seems like nothing you can do do to get relief. Water is terrible. Got tremendous photos though.

    Stef

    ReplyDelete
  14. Exactly, what matters in the end are the photos ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  15. Eric. you're so intrepid!

    In the UK, parliament recently voted to legalise same sex marriages, with certain specific exclusions regarding church marriages. As France is a secular country where the only legal marriage ceremonies are civil ones, one might think it would be simpler - in theory!
    I think the law will be changed despite the protests and in a few years time everyone will be wondering what all the fuss was about.

    However, I can't help feeling that it's a little unfair to dismiss all the protesters as bigots. I know that for many people this is an issue of social conscience and religious belief as opposed to being anti-gay.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Bigot:"a person who is extremely intolerant of another's creed, belief, or opinion."

    If social conscience and religions beliefs had their way, interracial marriage would not have been legalized.

    "There is nothing more dangerous than the conscience of a bigot" [George Bernard Shaw]

    ReplyDelete
  17. It was the Catholic Church that is responsible for so much of the beauty you see in these photos, and western civilization in general. To call us bigots for standing up for our beliefs that have sustained the world for 2000 years is either just willful ignorance or more likely bigotry itself. At one time France was the jewel of our faith, but so much has gone wrong with the secularization of our western culture.

    ReplyDelete
  18. "To call us bigots for standing up for our beliefs that have sustained the world for 2000 years is either just willful ignorance or more likely bigotry itself." Right back at 'cha. Stand up for your beliefs without imposing them on others. Live and let live, remember? What are the beliefs of the Catholic Church regarding the child sex abuse scandal?

    ReplyDelete
  19. Look, I don't think Eric would appreciate us turning his blog into a moral and political battleground, so I'll be as brief as possible. The truth about the Church sex abuse scandal is that over 80% of the cases were of homosexual men preying on post-pubescent teenage boys (see the John Jay College of Criminial Justice Report). The Church failed in properly vetting these men from entering the seminary, and yes some bishops did cover for them out of ignorance and/or fear. That was completely unacceptable,and the Church has taken giant steps to keep this from ever happening again. It's just another example of what happens in a permissive society that thinks nothing is wrong with disordered behavior. You say live and let live, but homosexual activists keep cramming their agenda down the throats of those of us that see homosexual behavior as morally wrong. If homosexual marriage is legalized, it's only a matter of time before they sue Catholic Churches to force them to perform "gay" marriages. We will fight this until the end. Peace to you.

    ReplyDelete
  20. You don't think Eric will appreciate it, but that's okay as long as you get the last word?

    From Wikipedia: "According to the John-Jay-Report 80.9% of the alleged abuse victims in the United States were male.[63] This led to William Donohue of the Catholic League to opine: "I maintain it has been a homosexual crisis all along."[236] This was described as “an unwarranted conclusion” to assert that the majority of priests who abused male victims are gay. Though “the majority of the abusive acts were homosexual in nature [...] participation in homosexual acts is not the same as sexual identity as a gay man.” She further stated that "the idea of sexual identity [should] be separated from the problem of sexual abuse...[A]t this point, we do not find a connection between homosexual identity and the increased likelihood of subsequent abuse from the data that we have right now.”[170] Research on pedophilia in general shows a majority of abusers identify themselves as heterosexual.[237][238] The Causes and Context Study of the John Jay Institute found no statistical support for linking homosexual identity and sexual abuse of minors.[235] Additionally The New York Times reported "the abuse decreased as more gay priests began serving the church."

    You are fighting a losing battle. There will be peace for all when there is equality for all. A little humanity goes a long way.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Sainte Jeanne d'Arc, patron saint of France and maid of Heaven, pray for us.
    Saint Jean-Marie Vianney, the Curè d'Ars, pray for us.

    PJM

    ReplyDelete