La Route des Manifs: Canal St-Martin, Republique, Bastille, Viaduc des Arts

            This was the route that French protestors have marched since the Bastille was torn down in 1789.  In France, protests are not a rare occasion but a normal, sometimes even daily, event.  This is a big difference between France and the U.S. as there are not very many protests in America, but this is just the way of French people.  The French learned this public protesting from its revolution and this right of the people to voice their opinion through revolt has remained with them.  The French revolution was basically a revolt of the poor lower class against the wealthy royalty.  The French have no problem voicing their opinion since this is how they know they can do it.  It was interesting to walk this route and imagine the protestors marching down the street.  The Republique is known to be included in the route whether it is at the beginning or the end but in my case it was at the beginning of the walk.  This statue was built in 1883 and symbolizes the French Republic that was restored for the third time in 1870.  Along the base of the statue, there are relief sculptures that depict significant events that led to the Third Republic.  This is a statue that embodies this revolutionist uprising and the new government.  I feel like the French probably respect this statue and get a sense of pride as well as excitement from it because it represents a successful turn of events that ended in the Third Republic.  They probably feel some support from it too if they are protesting since they know protests before led to a successful new Republic. 

             Then down the street from the Republique statue is the large column for the Bastille.  The Place de la Bastille was a prison that was stormed in 1789 to free prisoners that were held captive by the crown.  The Bastille was a symbol to the people of the arbitrary king and so they attacked it eventually taking it apart brick by brick.  The column honors those who fought and died in the July Revolution of 1830.  The remains of hundreds of victims rest in the statue’s base and on the top of it is a bronze statue of Genie of Liberty.  It makes sense that this spot would become part of the protestors’ path as it symbolizes this break through of hard earned freedom.  And if the protestors are fighting for something this spot additionally gives them support in fighting for it since they know a fight years ago was successful in receiving the freedom they have today.