Maurice and I walked along the Promenade Plantee all the way to Bastille and from there along Faubourg St Antoine back to Nation and home. There was a big parade for a political candidate, Melenchon, who, at present, only has 11% of the vote according to polls. I had never heard of him but Maurice tells me he was once in the Socialist party-the far left-which he left and while not a Communist, is supported by them. He marched, along with thousands of others, from Nation to Bastille.

A poster showing Melenchon.

All of those people have to be brought to the area and then taken back home and most of them do it by bus. There were hundreds parked everywhere.

This is where everyone was going to march to. I hope all of those people that we saw in the parade will fit there. 30,000 supposedly can.

Why Bastille? Because this is where the Revolution of 1789 began and the Bastille was stormed. They wanted to symbolize a new beginning and getting rid of the old Republic. There were signs everywhere asking for a sixth Republic-France is now in the fifth.

This sign says complete 1789-in other words, clear out the party in power.

This was the last of the parade waiting to start the walk to Bastille. Look at all of the litter. I saw those green water trucks waiting to clean up the mess after everyone had left. It’s strange to walk around a place that is usually packed with traffic.

The sculpture in the middle of Nation decorated by the parade participants.

Another view.

You know, Maurice and I walked in a parade in 2003 against the war. Can you believe it’s been going on that long?