Spring is usually the start of “protest season”, so I wasn’t surprised when I heard a demonstration was planned this Saturday. The issue? Nantes’ new airport plan. The mayor wants to build a brand new airport, and some constituents argue that they are being expropriated.
At noon, the police force deployed already seemed pretty disproportionate.
A chopper was flying above the city. The main streets were heavily patrolled by the gendarmerie (soldiers employed on police duty) and the CRS (riot control forces). It felt like being under siege.
Meanwhile, protesters were blocking the city’s main arteries with a long lineup of tractors.
Eventually, the protest settled place du Cirque. Yeah, it wasn’t going to end up well.
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Hi Zhu,
Great shots; I would call this photojournalism!
I am at the point where another demonstration hardly fazzles me.
Just another day in Paris, I guess…
Bises and have a nice Sunday.
I’m sure you have plenty of action in Paris and around! Glad you liked the pictures.
No matter when I decide to go to France… I always get caught in a demonstration! Although I must admit that this one really seems less peaceful than the ones I had seen so far.
Great shots, they really tell a story!
The two demonstrations French usually fear are the routiers and the paysans, both can get violent and messy. I wasn’t expecting such a fight yesterday though!
The only demonstrations I witnessed in Paris were pretty pacific but I’ve been told that when the paysants get involved it can get pretty violent.
That’s right! Paysans and les routiers are usually feared.
I understand and sympathize with protests and demonstrations – I do not understand destruction of property.
Amazing photos.
I know what you mean, I don’t think you need to destroy stuff to make your point. That said, it’s not as bad as it seemed, ie. store windows were tagged but not broken for instance.
When I was overseas, I’ve witness ‘peaceful demonstration’ but this would be too terrifying for me as you know where I come from…..protest is a definite NO NO 🙂
I can imagine! I’m used to demonstrations so they don’t faze me.
Incredible photos, Zhu!
I just wanted to say thanks again for submitting this to the Byteful Travel Blog Carnival. This article has been included in the which was published today.
So, if you could retweet, stumble, or “Like” I would really appreciate it. It would also help people discover your article, too!
Thanks again. Looking forward to your submissions next time! 🙂