it only took a day to hitch halfway up france to poitiers. i hitched on my own through the night. had some riveting conversations. and i was taken right to the doorstep of the gathering. it was against detention. with a protest planned in the afternoon against a new european super prison. the biggest in the eu.
i was too tired for the discussion. the literature was interesting though. a pamphlet explained how ‘prison society’ not only encourage locking up social deviants instead of encouraging happy cohabitation. it also referred to how public spaces are being increasingly privatised, surveilled and stolen away from us. the ‘fortress architecture’ of cities leads unwary shoppers into dungeons or indulgence. while shutting out others from entry. im not explaining this very well. so ill stop there. it was good stuff. i tried to get some shut eye. but ended up getting fondled by a a friend instead.
the protest was probably my first proper riot. it wasnt really ‘mine’. i refused to wear a mask. i had no intention to cause criminal damage. or attack a policeman. unlike most of the crowd. i was later identifies (thats what you get for not wearing a mask!) and held without charge for ages.
we tried to go to the circus. it had been cancelled. because of the riot. as were the street performers. and the music. misery.
i really wonder how useful these kind of protests are. they must alienate public support.
that said i think back to a neighbour who asked what was happening at the height of the window smashing, fire blazing, tear gassing turbulence. we explained. his furrowed brow lightened. an explosion went off at the top of the street. he beamed. ‘bon spectacle alors!’
