French Police Fire Tear Gas at Anti-Le Pen Protest

Reuters ^ | Apr 21 2002 | Catherine Bremer

[vance]

French Police Fire Tear Gas at Anti-Le Pen Protest

By Catherine Bremer

PARIS (Reuters) - French police used tear gas to disperse demonstrators in Paris early on Monday as thousands protested against the shock triumph of far-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen in the first round of presidential elections. A Reuters correspondent said police with riot shields drove back a crowd of hundreds of demonstrators and fired tear gas after small groups of protesters began throwing metal barriers in the historic Place de la Concorde.

Witnesses said protesters wearing crash helmets smashed the front windows of the famous Parisian restaurant, Maxim's.

Others climbed up scaffolding outside the Hotel Crillon overlooking the cobble-stoned Place de la Concorde, the city's smartest hotel often used to host visiting foreign leaders.

Earlier police said there had been isolated cases of vandalism but no major disturbances and no arrests.

Street marches which earlier had swelled to an estimated 10,000 people were beginning to wind down, witnesses said.

Marchers also massed in Lille, Lyon, Bordeaux, Grenoble and Strasbourg, where about 4,000 demonstrators shouted "Le Pen, you're finished. The French are on the streets" and "Fascism shall not pass."

Le Pen, the 73-year-old leader of the anti-immigrant, anti-Europe National Front party, pushed Socialist Prime Minister Lionel Jospin into third place in the contest.

Jospin announced on Sunday that he would quit politics after the May 5 runoff round, which polling institutes now forecast Chirac, a conservative, will win by a landslide.

Several of the demonstrations played on corruption allegations that have swirled around Chirac. "Vote sleaze, not fascist," protestors shouted in the northern city of Lille.

Le Pen, who once called the Holocaust a detail of history, played down some of his more extreme rhetoric during the campaign, which he focused on law and order in a response to widespread public concern over rising crime.

He dismissed the fascist label some of his opponents have given him in remarks on French television. "I have nothing to do with fascism," Le Pen said. "Fascism is protesting the result of a vote violently in the street."

[Phillip Augustus]

Yep. I just hope the Muslims join in these "protests". Watch Le Pen's star skyrocket if that happens.

[Psycho_Bunny]

lol....My mother, Calpublican, IS IN PARIS RIGHT NOW!

Damn. I hope she's OK.

Actually, come to think of it, I'm suspecting she is the actual cause of this riot.

[VaBthang4]

Huh? Liberals/Socialists that have a problem with the Democratic process?

I am shocked.

[stiga bey]

I just saw CNN International's take on this. Just a ten second blurb with a picture of police cars. They mentioned only a protest--no mention of rioting, no mention of teargas or "crash helmet"ed thugs, no mention of looting or vandalism, no politically-incorrect pictures of immigrants...

Then they went on to the protests in Washington and spent a full two minutes, making sure to mention how peaceful and wonderful these lefties are. Yech.

[Timesink]

Then they went on to the protests in Washington and spent a full two minutes, making sure to mention how peaceful and wonderful these lefties are. Yech.

Yes, the media is still lying socialist scum, but isn't it great how their lies aren't working any more? Thanks to the Internet, we can route around them like the damage they are and get to the truth.

[Redcloak]

4,000 demonstrators shouted "Le Pen, you're finished. The French are on the streets"

This is a truly comical mental picture. What came next? "We arrrre on zee streets! Waaatch out you silly Engleesh type persons! Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries!"

[Diddle E. Squat]

Well here's hoping your mom is ok.

Actually I wouldn't be too worried, she should be able to fight off any marshmellows pelted her way.

[Diddle E. Squat]

Watch out, or they'll fart in your general direction. If Chinese sand can float across the ocean, then extra potent...

[Redcloak]

"We want cheese! We want cheese! We want cheese! We want cheese! We want cheese! We want cheese!"

[Paleo Conservative]

Only the French could chant VOTE SLEAZE NOT FASCIST.......LOLOLOL

I'm surprized that Donna Brazille didn't think of it first.

Also, shouldn't it be Ou la la not LOL?

[Joe Boucher]

GOD ya gotta love this happening in France. Just something to stir up the masses. Use tear gas and water hoses on the crowds. How can this happen in this obviously superior country? Ah Ha Ha Ha AH Ha Ha Ha. Go Le Pen, raise hell.

[Rubber Ducky]

This is the equivalent of Pat Buchanan edging out Gore for second place, is it not?

[OldFriend]

Okay, I'll do it your way........OLL

[OldFriend]

Love, the media is the media the world over! Elitist and out of touch!

[OldFriend]

The left is not the fringe in Europe. It's the rule! There is a sense of entitlement no matter the economy is in a shambles, everyone's lifestyle is down the tubes and no segment of their economy or their institutions is run properly. No matter, give me more entitlements or I'll strike and that's what they do. Shut down the country, the farmers throw food into the roadway, the trucks shut down the highways, and everyone goes on strike.

Look at what happened in Italy, Berlusconi wanted to be able to fire government workers........the entire country went on strike. Every week a new reason to strike. Nothing changes, or very very very little changes......the sheeple are like lemmings and will go over the cliff before they are willing to change or even listen to reason.

Schroeder, to his credit did get some reforms in place but the pace is one step forward, three steps backward. We won't see a prosperous Europe in our lifetime.

[Darth Sidious]

Ahhh, this is so ho-hum. French kids protest all the time. And most of the time they don't even know what they're protesting. You could stand in the middle of Paris waving around a sign calling for castration of gay whales and a bunch of French students would join with you.

I saw this happen about ten years ago in Paris. Was one of the funniest things I ever saw in my life :-)

[eleni121]

This election appears to be the latest example of a return to sanity among the Europeans - It's so predictable to see the leftist public radio types piss in their pants over Le Pen's victory. Just proves that once people realize the deception and corruption of the left, they will arise in triumph.