On the Scene: France without Tears

Paris IN FEBRUARY, French fishermen took to the streets. They rampaged through a Paris fish market with axes and clubs, destroying a day’s catch of imported fish before doing battle with police. Then, in Brittany, 5,000 fishermen marched through Rennes, with metal pikes, Molotov cocktails, and pistols. They torched cars, trashed stores, ripped up pavement, and attacked the riot police (134 officers were injured). One of the rioters shot a flair into the seventeenth-century Breton parliament building. In the ensuing inferno, the building, an important symbol of Breton pride, was severely damaged. Lost was the library containing hundreds of priceless manuscripts and the famous roof of 1655 (in the image of an inverted ship’s hull).

The reaction to the riot was swift and predictable: immense public support for the rioters and a total government cave-in to their demands. Prime Minister Edouard Balladur offered the fishermen guaranteed prices for their product, several million francs in benefits, and special tax breaks.

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David Brooks

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Paris IN FEBRUARY, French fishermen took to the streets. They rampaged through a Paris fish market with axes and clubs, destroying a day’s catch of imported fish before doing battle with police. Then, in Brittany, 5,000 fishermen marched through Rennes, with metal pikes, Molotov cocktails, and pistols. They torched cars, trashed stores, ripped up pavement, and attacked the riot police (134 officers were injured). One of the rioters shot a flair into the seventeenth-century Breton parliament building. In the ensuing inferno, the building, an important symbol of Breton pride, was severely damaged. Lost was the library containing hundreds of priceless manuscripts and the famous roof of 1655 (in the image of an inverted ship’s hull).

The reaction to the riot was swift and predictable: immense public support for the rioters and a total government cave-in to their demands. Prime Minister Edouard Balladur offered the fishermen guaranteed prices for their product, several million francs in benefits, and special tax breaks.