letters
French riots are so far away from the France I know
October 17 protests leave reader feeling alienated
To the Editor,
When the sun rose over Paris on Sunday, October 18, and again the following weekend, residents in areas worst hit by the continuing demonstrations against the government were terrified to venture outside.
Shops had been looted, historic landmarks damaged and destruction was everywhere. In Limoges, residents awoke to find their historic 19th-century town hall had burnt to the ground – an unfortunate symbol of what “the mob” can do.
On October 18, a four-and-a-half-hour drive from Paris and just 36 miles from Limoges, the inhabitants of Lanouaille, a small town in the Dordogne, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, awoke to a very different day.
Same country (the one President Trump recently called ungovernable), same bright autumn weather, same language, same history.
In Lanouaille, however, it marked the annual Comice Agricole, where local and regional farmers and breeders showcase their livestock, particularly the famous Limousin cattle, as they have done since the first Comice in 1824.
From early morning, the town centre echoed to the grunting and lowing of 130 cows and bulls awaiting judging in this year’s competition. This is a France that has endured for generations.
It is a day of goodwill and celebration, with local dignitaries and political figures parading through the streets.
Folk dancers, the women dressed in traditional long black cotton skirts, peasant blouses, embroidered shawls and white lace headdresses, perform the Bourrée, a regional dance, to the haunting strains of accordion and violin.
The bar does a roaring trade. Away from the main competition area, stalls sell everything from rabbits and winter jumpers to sets of saucepans.
It is a wonderful celebration of French people, culture and tradition, taking place in the same country that was being shamefully torn apart in the City of Light, a relatively short distance away.
There will doubtless be more protests in Paris and other major French cities over the coming months.
Meanwhile, the people of Lanouaille will already be planning their 203rd annual Comice Agricole for October 2027, while hoping that anger, looting and wanton destruction stay well away from their peaceful town.
C.H. by email
How were you affected by the October protests? Share your experience at letters@connexionfrance.com
