Every time I go to France, I like to take the pulse of the population and to sound out current issues. Graffiti and stickers can be found everywhere, and these little words written or stuck on urban fragments tell a lot about how people feel.
A lot of these stickers are given by far-left political parties, including the Fédération anarchiste and the Ligue communiste révolutionnaire, which are still quite active in France. Some are anonymous and quite witty. They promote social justice and oppose political and social establishments.
I also noticed quite a few stickers promoting Brittany’s independence and the use of the regional language, Breton.
You can follow our French trip here on Flickr: France (2010).
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la lucha continua
is your home in the brittany area?
Ah, Breton is actually related to Welsh and Cornish?
There’s also Gaelic in Scotland.
In the Highlands, road signs are written bilingually in Gaelic and English.
But in Wales, most signs are bilingual.
Apparently, it’s a stronghold of Welsh.
Yeah, it’s a delicate balance between security and freedom…
I think Chinese generally value security over freedom…
i love all the stickers and posters you found. even if you disagree with them, they make you think. someone once said– i should look up the exact quote– the superior mind is able to accept two points of view.
after all, a society is only as strong as its protections for its least powerful citizens; Liberté, égalité, fraternité shpuld apply to everyone…
except of course, illegals, al-qaida, old people, minorities, fascists, gays, redheads, taliban, fatties, children, anarchists, poor people, men with egg-shaped heads, druggies, muslims, prostitutes, murderers, modern artists, smokers, white-wine drinkers, bretons, people who wear polyester, foreigners with unpronounceable names, women, idiots, people with peugeots (also idiots), mutes, korn and curly-haired people with red shoes who use cellphones in public.
I love la greve des chomeurs! Thanks for the laugh!
Ah, I always look forward to your specialty, which is taking photos of artifacts of the masses, such as graffiti and posters such as these! Very nice.
Zhu,
Now, there’s something I agree upon: out with the fascists and any government must be crazy for privatising the Post Offices (it goes against National Interests)!
These stickers are the reflection of Freedom of Speech: Vive la liberté!
Cheers
@Rich b – Yes, well more or less – whether Nantes is part of Brittany or not is an on-going debate! Eh, we really have to go for a coffee now that I’m back and have some free time 🙂
@London Caller – A lot of signs are bilingual these days as more people try to keep a Breton heritage.
@khengsiong – It’s a total different view of the world and it’s sometimes hard to explain it to Westerners – I’m sure you know what I mean. China shaped its own politics and vision of the world… it’s definitely not as individualistic as here.
@Seraphine – 😆 I laughed out loud (in a public place but never mind…!). You should make a comic out of it!
@Soleil – They made me smile too! Took me two seconds to get it at first 😆
@Linguist-in-Waiting – I love urban fragment like these!
@Max Coutinho – It is indeed a nice example of freedom of speech! Doesn’t mean I agree with them all either 😉
Wow, exciting. I hadn’t seen posters like that since I went to college.