Nemeses and the Yellows: An innkeeper closing his brasserie for the day warns the guests in front of the Black Block. His colleague in another restaurant initially thought the move was good, but now it was too much. The owner of a shop selling precious bullfighting devotional items does not think to lock up, and our hotelier has heard nothing of impending riots.
This changes when the old town becomes a staging area during the Saturday afternoon. For a while, the “gilet jauntiness” and the black uniforms of the CRS, the companies Republicans DE Security, perform skirmishes around the arena. Stones fly, trash cans burn, the scenery reminds of May 1st festivities in Nuremberg. Only come here no emergency vehicles, the streets are too narrow.
The Muse DE la Romania – one of the most beautiful places to study ancient life, a world-class presentation – closes in the tumult, the arena is also locked. On the square in front of it stands a sculpture of the famous matador Christian Montesquieu, called “Anime II”. He holds his metal cloth in the wind, a dumb Ola.
The police drive the protesters into the old town, and perhaps the reflective fabric wants to lure the officials in the confusing network of streets, squares, passages. There are some slightly injured and a few arrests, hardly any material damage. Obviously, the protest is not directed against local business people.
The yellow vest with reflective tapes is also a camouflage for democratic enemies
An international flamenco festival opens on the weekend in Nemeses. The vernissage in the early evening is canceled for security reasons, the premiere will take place later. We go down the alleys to the food, which two or three hours before were wrapped in acrid mist and echoed off the boots of the CRS. The restaurant is called “Impressive”, the unforeseen, unexpected.
Later, the bars are busy again. It is cold, but many guests are sitting on the Boulevard Victor Hugo, which leads from the Madison Carrie to the arena. The shop windows of the banks are broken, thrown in and sprayed: “Le capital Crest Du cacao” and “Velours!”, Thieves.
The safety vest with the signal color can cover anybody, no matter which color, it is also a camouflage for democratic enemies. Will the “tenth act” bring more people to the streets next Saturday, is it a small revolution?
The official’s fire cartridges in the streets. You can easily get caught between the fronts. Cite, bite, says a policewoman. We take a hundred meters to the entrance of our hotel at a run. The gas etched in the throat, tears in the face. Cite, bite! The yellow vests will not be forgiven that fast. Not even the global problems that they tackle by force, because politics fail in their eyes.