The day started with clear blue skies and only a few wispy clouds. A wonderful winter’s day in Paris. If was as if Saturday’s rain clouds parted to offer a perfect day of homage to the seventeen innocent people who were coldly massacred by four terrorists.
We started out over an hour early, but that clearly wasn’t enough. I had planned to take the bus to Réaumur Sébastopol and walk the rest of the way to République, but it wasn’t going past Châtelet due to the expected crowds.
That left the only choice: the metro, which I had hoped to avoid, knowing it would be packed, especially since all public transports were free yesterday. Packed was an understatement. Squished, pinched, elbowed, hair in your face was more like it.
I would have gladly exited, if only I could have gotten out through such a tightly compact mass of bodies, who weren’t budging. Even sardines in a can have vastly more space.
Getting off at Réaumur stop was just as difficult, as the platform was so crowded that there was barely enough room to even step off the subway car. When I finally reached the fresh air above, it was practically exhilarating.
I started walking around the square in front of the Conservatoire des Arts et Metiers and headed towards République. By the time I reached Blvd Turbigo, another thick mass of people enveloped us, but at least we had some breathing room above us (the beautiful Haussmannian buildings and blue sky).
The crowds had numerous Je suis Charlie written on head bands, posters and shirts. Would have liked to have seen more other references of honor, because this massive march was not only for the journalists and police persons killed, but for the four Jewish people at the Kosher grocery, all savagely killed by another Islamic terrorist Friday.
Charlie Hebdo had numerous threats in the past several years for their extreme satirical caricatures, but the Jewish population of Paris and elsewhere in France have been the targets of extremists with a frightening increase in several years.
The tremendous mass of fellow marchers were for the most part congenial and fairly polite, except those intent on shoving though, as if they were going to miss something. I was surprised to see some children being tagged along, such as one little girl holding a large branch of perfumed yellow mimosa.
From time to time a thunderous wave of clapping from the distant became louder as it rippled through the crowds and we all joined in. This was accompanied by sporadic outbreaks of the La Marseillaise, the French national anthem, which I noticed was as challenging for some in remembering the whole lyrics as much as we Americans have with our own national anthem.
Many were waving French flags, and I spotted one American flag too, certainly from expats like myself.
Many residents were hanging out their windows, waving and cheering on the crowds. One even enchanted us with a lovely operetta sung with much gusto.
It was pretty much a snail’s pace and at over an hour, we were still a large block from Place de la République. A little past the pretty carved entrance of Lycee Turgot, we were practically at a standstill.
This lycee or high school was built over the site of a very notorious convent, La Madelonnettes, where prostitutes and other fallen women were sent that later served as a prison during the French revolution.
Near by was a plaque seen in the photo, remembering the over 11,000 Jewish children from Paris, who were deported and died in the concentration camps. I thought how poignant it was and I hoped that it too struck a chord of sadness in all who passed it, serving as a reminder that past evil can reincarnate and strike at anytime.
I was glad to march in homage for all; those killed last week and for all the innocent Jewish men, women and children, deported and slaughtered during World War II.
Suddenly, we started seeing a flux of folks trying to weave their way back through the rest of us massed in forward gear. They were yelling that Place de La République was blocked with all ten entry streets saturated to the gills.
Well, so much for reaching even the beginning of the march! I wasn’t surprised nor really that disappointed. Half of us reluctantly gave up and turned around making our way back. I headed towards a narrow side street that was a short cut back, relying on my own well tuned inner GPS.
When I ran into Rue Saint Martin, I headed south towards Châtelet. I have always liked this old cobblestone Roman thorough fare that was the ancient northern road out of Paris to Montmartre and beyond.
Whenever I walk it, I am reminded of all the other souls who have treaded this path before me. It passes by the old church of Saint Nicholas de Champs , the Pompidou Center and then the even older church of Saint Merri, which has free classical concerts on the weekends.
Saint Martin was crowded too, more that any regular sunday afternoon, with those fleeing from the march, except the darken square near the Pompidou. Rue Saint Martin ends on the side of the exquisitely carved Tower of Saint Jacques.
Preferring to walk home, rather even attempt being squished again in the metro, I was nevertheless glad to catch bus 38 leaving from Châtelet. Once home and seeing the overhead views of the adjoining streets feeding into République on television, I felt assured that it was the only good choice to have left.
I have been packed in tight many times amongst the rowdy Mardi Gras merrymakers in New Orleans, but never caught in a veritable sea of people with as much breadth and depth, all trying to convene on a 
rectangular square that is not that huge.
It was estimated that approximately 1.6 million participated in the march in Paris and over 3.7 million all over France! . I hoped that those departed souls were peering in from above and that they could feel the strong emotion of love and honour just for them from below.
How tragic that their lives were so cruelly taken away and sad also that none of them knew how much they were loved and appreciated. It seems like it always takes a tragedy of this dimension to wake people up, so as they can foster a new direction and make needed changes that hopefully will prevent other heinous acts from happening.
If only they will. History though, is a reminder that human beings throughout the ages really haven’t changed much, and that evil that some carry inside will strike again, repeating more horrors. Life remains as fragile as ever.
The most that good people can do is in our own little corner of planet earth, promoting love, tolerance, values, and compassion in our children, grandchildren, and society as a whole. Laws that work for the common good and health of all, not just the privileged, can be helpful in preventing children from growing up into bitter, angry, harden, revenge seeking criminals that will continually spew evil on those they feel let them down.
Paris took on another dimension yesterday, rarely seen with so much solidarity of her populace. Maybe it was like that at the liberation of Paris in 1944, except surely more gleeful. It was for me , a beautiful sight to witness in this magnificent city of light and love.
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Wow. Another well written blog, Cherry. It must have been really something to be there. Here in Brussels, 40,000 people gathered at Gare du Nord for the same reason.
Thank you Serena. Glad to hear about the march in Brussels, who has suffered also. As I said it the post, was surprised to see families with young children, given safety issues in immense crowds, but perhaps in retrospect it was also to demonstrate and teach.
Hugs
Well written and documented. I would given anything to be there and I feel I have (and I watched multiple news channels coverage. Yours was the best
I am very humbled and appreciative of your comment Louis, coming from a professional television journalist/anchor and photographer. I experience more from a feeling perspective, so my writing tends to follow in the same vein. Passing by that commemorative plaque was another sobering reminder of the immense devastation that hatred, racism and intolerance can bring.
Cherry, it is very interesting to read your firt hand account of the dmonstration. As always, it takes dramatic events to motivate the average citizens to rally for such demonstrations. To me, all of these types of events raise questions about the concept of cultural melting pots of people of radically different cultures. If immigrants are not willing to reasonably assemilate into the couture of a country, do they represent a negative impact on the society of that country; and indeed, should they even be allowed to immigarte into the country?
Unfortunately, I have to admit that I voted for George Bush; and it turned out that his unwarranted invasion and decimation of Iraq’s infrastructure and society contributed substantially to the opportunity for the radical Islamists to expand their movements, which have now spread throughout the Middle East and now even into European countries . . . there were no WMDs or significant terrorists in Iraq. Even in the USA there are factions that are pushing for Shiria, the Islamic laws, to be recognized for Islamists. It appears that in the name of “liberalism” a lot of common sense has been ignored; some cultures are simly not compatible. Events such as have recently occurred in France can galvanized the people of France and the immigrant Islamic people to protect their society from the terrorist radical Islamists or it may create even greater cultural and political divides within France.
I think that the entire world will be watching all of this with great interests. It has been noted that France has taken in more Islamic immigrants than any other European country. “Education” is the only real solution for these radical extremists; but that will take several generation or more. Meanwhile, the most prudent thing might be to relegate the radical extremists to their native countries; and let them work out their cultral problems with their fellow countrymen.
Thank you David. As usual you present and raise excellent questions related to the post. I remember cringing during the very unfortunate American invasion in Iraq, knowing that we were creating a wasp nest of relentless hatred and resentment that would be unleashed upon us and our allies for many years to come. I was frightened too back then, to the point I stopped doing my free psycho debat/cafe weekly out of fear of being a soft target.
I think we are seeing just the tip of the iceberg. The most recent terrorist attacks here has fed into the rise of the Front National party, which proposes to do exactly what you outline in your last paragraph. Unassimilated immigrants, who can’t not share the values of their adopted country and are filled with resentment and hatred to the degree they strike out in revenge, should not be allowed to stay.
Although not to the degree of America, France has been enriched by past waves of immigrants from Italy, Russia, Eastern Europe, Portugal, Spain etc, who have assimilated well. The cultural and political divide is well in place and growing deeper due to immense problems that accompanied the influx of Islamic immigrants from France’s former colonies in northern Africa. I hope the French society will be able to surmount these complicated issues, while preserving her rich Judeo/Christian values and culture.
Cherry , this is definitely different from your normaL bog .As I’ve watched this unfold on tv I thought I might see you in the crowd, I’m so glad that you were out there standing up for the good of mankind and opposing This evil.
As Mr . Louis De La Foret stated your account of this demonstration Was the best!
Please be careful,
Looking forward to reading your next blog, hopefully on a more pleasant subject
Thank you Isham for your kind comments and encouraging words. I think you would have wanted to be there too, as you have a good heart and much goodwill towards your fellow man. I like what you are doing in your part of world to promote awareness of the wonders of nature! You are the the best!