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Is Paris Really Burning.... Or Have You Been Abused?
It looks like Paris is getting quite a bit of unwanted attention
lately. Reading the press, both national and international, one
gets the impression the French capital is under siege with riots
exploding everywhere.
We hear the banshee screams coming from the media pit: 'the
worst civil strife since the 60s', 'riots propagating like
wildfire', and other tasteful headlines.
Bah, humbug.
I spent a couple of weeks in Paris in November, when the events
unfolded in some of the suburbs.
Being the Senior Editor of a Paris city guide, you can imagine I
spent my stay in the French capital riding, walking, visiting
and searching for interesting news to report back to our readers.
Well, well, well. There I was, zipping through the traffic day
and night on my scooter, looking for some atrocious mob scene,
secretly hoping to catch a bunch of ugly rioters burning
expensive cars in front of a police precinct! Camera! Light!
Action!
After all, the headlines had promised us quite a show. And you
know the media always, always, always tell us the truth, the
whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help them God.
So I spent my 2-week stay criss-crossing the streets of Paris.
I went everywhere: in the Pigalle red district, to the
République Square and the Bastille plaza, over to the posh St
Sulpice area, and through the lively St Germain-des-Prés. I
plunged into the heart of the 12th district through the dead of
the night. I spent time with friends on the Montmartre hill,
pigged out at many restaurants, and stayed up till the wee hours
of the morning almost every night.
But riots? None.
Nothing happened. Nada. Zilch. Zippo.
Oh yes, sorry, yes. I forgot: a couple of cars were burnt in the
17th district. But alas! The show was over in no time, and the
thugs had left the scene before the police and firemen got
there.
That, a riot? Wow. I'm unimpressed.
What did I actually see in the last two weeks? Streets busy with
shoppers and diners, people strolling about, doing their stuff.
Business as usual.
So what about the civil unrest in Paris?
Here is my guess: the media bunch wrote "Paris" when they
actually meant "suburbs".
But mind you, there is a world of difference here!
Contrary to the typical American urban center, European cities
have developed outwards, from an inner core protected by a
succession of ramparts -- a tradition born in the Middle Ages
where cities had to defend themselves against invaders.
The inner city is rich and architecturally interesting. Ghettos
and 'projects' are built outside the city walls, in the suburbs.
Paris is rich, and very well protected. Money can afford
protection. And believe me, there is moolah aplenty in Paris.
In terms of police protection, there are probably 50 times more
cops in the streets of Paris as in the "red belt suburbs" -- the
suburbian cities situated North and East of Paris. These
traditional strongholds of the Communist Party are the dwelling
places of the
troublemakers. Miles away from Paris.
Of course, a headline which screams "Paris Under Siege" or
"Paris Plunged In Civil Strife" will sound sooooooooo very much
more interesting than something like: "Noisy-le-Grand's Stadium
Is Burning". Who ever heard of Noisy-le-Grand after all?
This is really the case in point, mind you.
You most likely don't know of Noisy-le-Grand -- a small,
non-descript city located 15 miles from Paris.
So would you be interested in reading about a dozen
troublemakers burning cars and a building in Noisy-le-Grand?
Of course, you wouldn't. So the headlines would not sell.
Everybody needs to make a buck, and the media is definitely no
exception to the rule. Quite the contrary indeed. They want to
grab your bucks mighty fast.
So they strive to get your attention with screaming headlines,
blurred geographical lines, and heart-pumping pictures of cars
burning. This now makes 'Paris 2005' look like 'Los Angeles
1992'.
A dozen of vile thugs wreak havoc in several isolated spots, and
the headlines print: "Civil unrest like the French government
has not faced in decades".
Bah, humbug.
So what are the actual facts about Paris and your safety there?
I was there: I can tell you the simple, naked truth.
Paris remains a place as safe as ever, where honest citizens are
well defended by a strong, hard-working police force, and where
criminals get punished as they deserve.
What about the 'burbs?
The isolated hotspots are now under the direct control of the
army. The few dozens of criminal thugs who succeeded in getting
media attention will now be held at bay, and imprisoned when
caught.
Had the media reported on the facts without dramatizing them to
the extreme, the few guilty thugs would have failed in their
attempt at getting attention and disrupting people's lives.
There would have been less trouble overall, and less people
worrying unnecessarily.
To be honest with you, I believe newspapers and TV should be
tagged with a blackbox label, just as antidepressants are now
labelled: "WARNING: The daily consumption of news media
increases the risk of suicidal thinking."
The last couple of weeks were rich in emotions and sensations. I
had plenty of time to feel the Parisian pulse. The weather was
still OK, a bit rainy sometimes, but mostly sunny and not cold.
I saw lots of Asian tourists, and heard numerous conversations
in English. Shops and cafés were crowded. The city parks were
well-frequented. Angelina's Tea Salon on Rue de Rivoli was as
busy as ever.
That, a city under siege?
Excuse me for a second. I need to laugh.
About the author:
Phil Chavanne is the Senior Editor of Paris-Eiffel-Tower-News
.com. Paris Eiffel Tower News provides interesting news and
facts about Paris to people who wish to travel to the French
capital. Discover Paris through the eyes of insiders, pick the
right Paris hotel, walk off the beaten path.
