Protests in France

Seamstresses and dress makers across France will certainly protest the muslin question, but who knows what the election results will produce in terms of demonstrations or anything else. Probably nothing. For tourists in places like France or Belgium, a general strike for a day might be the only thing that would affect your travels. If you were going to Greece or Spain and ended up in an area of Athens or Barcelona where violent confrontations with police have taken place, you would be best served by avoiding those areas of town. Frankly, I wouldn't worry too much about the election. Now, if you get a chance to join in a big protest against Monsanto's genetically-modified corn while you're there, I say go for it.

Mark,, seriously, don't worry about it. Riots rarely take place anywhere a tourist where will be,, most often in outer suburbs. Protests can take place anywhere but are most often easy to avoid and non violent. If by some absolute freak chance you are walking down a street and encounter a protest or gathering, just walk by it. ( although if you can speak /read some french it may be interesting to see what its about) . I have never heard of a tourist having a problem,, so don't imagine you would be first one. Relax.

Nothing is going to happen. If Hollande wins, a few thousand people will celebrate at Bastille. If Sarkozy wins (again), hopefully this time he'll choose a restaurant other than Fouquet where his ultra-rich backers hang out to celebrate. That was kind of like kicking sand in the face of the middle-class. The religious issue has been milked by Sarkozy trying to attract the extreme-right vote away from Marine LePen. Nothing's going to happen.

just an fyi, phrasing something as "the (racial, religious, or ethnic group) question" will probably not be well received. early nazi propaganda talked a lot about "the Jewish question" and as such that phrase has stuck in people's mind as denoting a prejudicial viewpoint, so when traveling in Europe do be careful about how you phrase things. And for god's sake, don't bring up Greece. Anyway, I wouldn't worry. Protests of all kinds are a fact of life in Europe, in some places they get out of hand but usually it's not a big deal. As others have advised, you're not likely to encounter anything that will disrupt your trip.

Well got you all beat,, the Canucks just got in the playoffs and if you all want to see a riot simply google Canucks Riots ....2011

Thank you, Michael, for your wonderful and perfectly tuned answer (I was about to reply with something similar but not as nicely done). FWIW, I actually have run into a demonstration or two while traveling in Europe. Once I just stood by on a street when a labor group marched by. Nobody gave me a look, I never felt threatened, I might as well have been a lamp post. No big deal. The other was a larger demonstration, which could be easily heard from a block or two away (actually, you couldn't miss it). Intrigued and wanting to know what the noise was all about, I approached, checked out the signs people were carrying. It was about an aspect of US foreign policy that I disagreed with (that is, I disagreed with the US policy, and agreed with the sentiments being expressed by the demonstrators). I stepped into the street, up to the edge of the demonstration (as my girlfriend tried to tug me back towards the sidewalk, telling me I was about to get myself killed). I walked up to the edge of the group marching, smiled and yelled out (in English) "I'm an American visiting your country." I paused. Most of the people within earshot turned to face me, their faces showed a mix of surprise, skepticism, and yes, a few looked downright hostile. I continued "I just wanted to tell you that you are right, that I support your demonstration, and many Americans agree with you! Good luck, and thank you for your efforts!!" Everyone smiled and nodded, some cheered, and a few came over to pat me on the back or gave a quick hug. They continued marching down the street, I waved, and we walked away towards our original destination. My girlfriend shot me a look and shook her head (and I checked my money belt just to be sure it had not been pinched during the hugs and back-slaps). It was great. A true back-door moment if there ever was one.

I would have to add that I would not necessarily recommend jumping into the middle of any demonstration that you might encounter. Unless it's just an outright riot (we have those here in the US occasionally, too - and believe me, you'll know one when you see it), it should be pretty easy to figure out what the issue is that people are demonstrating about (read the signs, listen to what they're shouting). If you hold political views that are diametrically opposed to those being expressed by the group, you would be best to steer clear and do not offer a contrary view - it's probably not a good venue for a debate. But remember that, just like in the good old USofA, if people are out demonstrating in the streets, they're probably not a bunch of wild radicals looking to rampage and sack a town. They're probably just plain folks, the same people you see in the shops and on the streets (this is true both at home and abroad). You just might find that you agree with them on a lot of things, possibly including the thing that they're fired up enough about to spend some time practicing good old American-style democracy.

Gee David, you should have been in Frankfurt last weekend then. It was anything BUT, peaceful and fun. A million euro worth of damage to random windows all along their "parade" route. Oh, and it was about Capitalism.

Jo, I didn't say all demonstrations would always be peaceful and fun (although in my experience, most certainly are). But I think it's usually very obvious even to a clueless foreigner standing on the edges what the mood and intent of a crowd is, and how safe/unsafe you might be there. FWIW we had a bit of that window-smashing thuggery here in my town during some little globalization demonstrations a few years back (you probably heard about it). Obviously a sad state of affairs for the shop owners and others who suffered property loss (and yes, bad for the taxpayers to have to clean up afterwards). I was right there in the middle of it, and never felt personally threatened in the slightest (well, there were there police riots that followed, but I knew enough to avoid that). The kids smashing shop windows anywhere are spoiled idiots who only hurt whatever cause they think they're fighting for. My point is not that tourists should blindly rush in to participate in any demonstration or unrest they might encounter - that's stupid. Rather that no one should shy away from European cities for fear of political violence. And that the overwhelming majority of those participating in any demonstrations are likely to be just regular folks assembling peacefully, and not threat to visitors. Use common sense and you have nothing to worry about.

Just a few little points I want to add: Don't think demonstrations don't happen in tourist areas. The Latin Quarter (aka the Tourist Ghetto according to some on these boards) has a history of being a place for political demonstrations. Police in France can and will use tear gas and/or rubber bullets when they think a demonstration is getting out of hand. Based off of news reports and stuff that's gone on in my area, this is way more likely to occur if it is a student protest. Unless you feel strongly about joining in, I would recommend to quickly get away from a student protest.

Couple of points: My own views and values may be to the left of the Left, but I would never do or say anything that could be remotely construed as denouncing my own country while visiting another. I don't denounce my own country here, so why would I do it anywhere else? I'll protest or rally here no problem, but I do love my country after all. BTW, I'm not suggesting David was denouncing his own country...just saying. Also, any cause instantly loses my support when serious law-breaking starts to occur. Protesting the WTO is great, but let's face it, many protesters are anarchist wannabes (they can't even figure out how to re real anarchists) and/or losers with nothing better to do and begin with the idea that they're going to be smashing out store fronts, looting, and setting cars ablaze. Nobody should support that type of protest when there are lawful, civilized, and democratic ways to try and affect a change. I "joined" a peaceful protest in Madrid a couple of years ago after accidentally running into it in Puerta del Sol. We stood on the periphery of the crowd and just tried to figure out what it was all about. It was exciting, I agreed with the anti-privatization crowd, I learned a little something , and I enjoyed a "back door" moment. Still, I really cannot recommend joining a demonstration in a foreign country...you just never know. There were hundreds of police and thousands of protesters that night. It was peaceful, but, again, you just never know. I wasn't serious about protesting Monsanto in France. Don't get me wrong, they deserve it, but one can peacefully demonstrate against them when back home safe and sound.

Thanks to everyone for their postings. This has been a learning experience! I especially appreciate the person who commented on my choice of the words, "Muslim question." I thought hard how to express that without offense, and thought my choice was fairly benign. I had forgotten the tragic context of that phrase as used in Germany in WWII. Lesson learned. Thanks to all those who suggested sights to see. Good suggestions all. Best, Mark.

I was in a taxi in Paris, and streets were blocked from some sort of demonstration. I could see plumes of smoke or gas as the taxi turned around. I asked him, in my awkward French, if that was the gas that makes one cry. Or maybe rain, I don't know. But he said it was ok, just a manifestation. I can see now that "manifestation" means demonstration, but it cracked me up. I thought maybe the plumes of smoke were ghosts manifesting themselves. Boo.