Is The France We've Grown To Know And Love Gone Forever?

Of course, it’s difficult to imagine that, given the many modern portrayals of the country, specifically of Paris, which paint no such picture. You’ll never see Emily in Paris have the titular heroine walk through garbage flooding into the streets of Paris nor through riots, alongside protestors torching and destroying the city. It's not exactly the best approach for promoting tourism or a lighthearted Netflix show.

The problems with France don’t just lie within a “big city” set of problems; the protests didn’t spontaneously begin, nor can they be expected to go away as quickly as they came. Numerous conflicts within the country have been brewing for years, and many factors have contributed to France’s current problems and general disarray. Furthermore, there’s evidence that things may continue down the route of destruction and potential revolution.

An Erasure of Tradition and Clash of Cultures

France’s most iconic imagery includes cathedrals like Notre Dame, chapels like Sainte-Chapelle, and abbeys like Mont-Saint-Michel. Undoubtedly, the Roman Catholic tradition has left its mark on France, whether in the form of its churches or its architectural and artistic influence. Culturally, France’s history with Catholicism goes back almost to the beginning of Christianity – Christians have been present in France since the second century. For this reason, France has often been called the “oldest daughter of the Church.” The Catholic Church’s close connection with the monarchy came about in the 9th century, when Charlemagne was crowned by the pope. The connections between Church and politicians continued through the centuries, which in part fueled the French Revolution. The Church was also heavily involved in social institutions, like hospitals and education.

In the present-day, France has established a distinct separation between church and state, and the Roman Catholic influence within France’s culture has waned. At the same time, France has allowed extremists into the country who simply cannot accept the presence of faiths that don’t align with their own – and this includes secular groups that treat their political or moral convictions like some form of religion.

France has allowed extremists into the country who simply cannot accept the presence of faiths that don’t align with their own.

In March 2019, one month before the burning of Notre Dame, there were 50 instances of vandalism and desecration of Catholic churches all across France. In one instance, north of Paris, someone entered the historic Basilica of Saint-Denis, and smashed the stained-glass windows, the organ, and the choir stalls. In Nimes, someone drew a cross with human excrement and stuck consecrated communion hosts on it.

Executive Director of the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe Ellen Fantini said that France was the worst country for anti-religious intolerance, and they’re facing many problems with “anti-Christian actions by anarchist, feminist and Islamist movements.” One of the worst instances of this was the murder of Fr. Jacques Hamel in 2016, by two individuals inspired by the Islamic State.

Although it’s easy to dismiss (albeit callously) that these are merely attacks on the Catholic faith, it translates into the dismissal of French-ness as well.

Being a Western country, France believes in generally classically liberal ideals, which include some degree of freedom of expression, such as criticizing religion. While Christians can be poked fun at endlessly in the media, certain religious extremists have made it so no one can criticize their god and get away with it.

In 2020, a schoolteacher named Samuel Paty was decapitated in the suburbs of Paris in an Islamic terror attack, for the crime of discussing images of the Prophet Muhammad with his students. The suspect had been granted a 10-year residency as a refugee.

When a population is permeated with just a few individuals willing to inflict extreme violence for either simply believing in a different faith or discussing aspects of the faith objectively, it’s not surprising that the culture may change into one that’s far different from what it was even just 50 years ago. Although there were concerns back then, it didn’t extend to concerns over saying the wrong thing in the wrong place – especially when certain groups are expressing outrage at the notion that a religion’s beliefs should not supersede the laws of a nation.

“French” Revolution

It’s no secret that France is well-known for its history of revolution and bloodshed. If you remove the surface-level ideas that are commonly ascribed to France, you’ll soon arrive at images like those of Napoleon, Les Miserables, Marie Antoinette, guillotines, and the French Revolution. Passion is a wide spectrum, and France’s history of inner conflict is quite extensive. The tradition of rebellion persists to some degree today.

The faltering promises of the increasingly unpopular President Emmanuel Macron sparked resentment and anger within the populace. Back in March, new retirement reforms were introduced, which raised the retirement age from 62 to 64 (and from 57 to 59 for garbage collectors), and increased contribution requirements for a full pension. All of this was done without a vote, thanks to one special constitutional article.

In response to this, sanitation workers mobilized, ceasing to collect garbage and allowing thousands of tons of garbage to pile up, out of collection bins and onto the streets. Street cleaners and underground sewer workers also staged walkouts. Aside from the stench, this raised numerous health risks, with rats seizing the opportunity to feast on shoulder-high piles of trash and spread disease to humans.

This strike persisted for almost an entire month, and was ultimately called off due to sanitation workers abandoning the cause. Still, union leaders discussed the possibility of further and stronger action if the retirement reforms are not rescinded.

France’s sociopolitical unrest is reminiscent of the U.S.’ “summer of love” back in 2020.

Culture Clash + Revolution, Equals…

If the cultural issues and political tensions in France weren’t awful problems to begin with, there has been a recent conglomeration of the two.

Just a couple of months ago in June, a teenager of Algerian and Moroccan descent named Nahel Merzouk was shot after a traffic stop by police. The shooting was filmed, the video went viral, and protests and riots erupted in the teen’s home city of Nanterre and in other parts of France, and lasted several days.

There were those who claimed to want to protest and demonstrate their feelings against police brutality and perceived systemic racism, brought on by prejudice against those who don’t appear to be traditionally French. At the same time, there was no shortage of individuals who sought only to destroy. One “protestor” shared the feelings of euphoria they felt when standing in front of “cops” and “attacking a symbol of the state.” In another town, the local mayor’s suburban home was driven into by a burning car while his wife and two young children were home. As if that wasn’t enough, the protests lasted for several days.

It’s reminiscent of the U.S.’ “summer of love” back in 2020, marked by riots, burnings, casualties, and a new wave of “easy on crime” attitudes in cities like Portland. It was at that point that many people said that America was over. Similar things could now be said about France.

Closing Thoughts

Of course, it’s disingenuous to suggest that France was a perfect, romantic place and that Paris was truly the greatest city in the world. But while there was relative peace, it was easier to dream about it, to romanticize the already-romantic aspects of the country and its iconic cities. Presently, and in reality, the country is currently facing numerous internal conflicts that make the France of 20, 30 years ago seem like a bygone dream.

Howard Koch wrote in the screenplay for Casablanca, “We’ll always have Paris.” But in the famous words of Tears for Fears, “Nothing ever lasts forever.”

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