Chanel and animal activists

It was under a rather unusual circumstance that I witnessed the radical French activists in action. Of all places in Paris, it occurred at the intersection of rue Saint-honore and rue Cambon which was once home to Coco Chanel and her first fashion boutique.

The original Chanel shop on rue Cambon

I was oblivious of the commotion outside the shop when it happened and suddenly the roller shutters came down letting no one in or out of the premises. For about ten minutes, I was trapped with a dozen other people and puzzled as to what actually was going on.  No explanation was offered by the staff who was more than happy to practise their selling techniques on the strained shoppers.

Demonstrators and policemen at the scene 

Obviously I was not prepared to spend the entire afternoon locked up in a shop, so I sneaked out by the side exit. There I ran right into a brigade of 30 or so policemen who were heading towards the protesters. There was no violence of any sort and I was curious to find out what exactly was their cause.

Catching the media's attention is key to
a successful campaign

The mystery began to unravel when I saw a man being interviewed by the media with his lambs in the background. These people were protesting against the killing of animals and the use of their skins to provide fur coats and leather handbags. And they are clearly passionate about their cause, otherwise who would bother to bring the animals to a demonstration just to make a point. Now it seems all too appropriate that a demonstration on animal rights should target at the haute couturiers and the fashion conscious Parisians who frequent this quarter.

French actress Bridget Bardot

Perhaps you may not know that one of the most celebrated of all French animal activists is none other than Bridget Bardot. The ultimate sex symbol from the 1950s and 60s retired from her successful acting career at the age of 39 and chose to use her fame to promote animal rights. She has championed against the killing of dolphins in Denmark, seal hunting in Canada, bear and tiger hunting in China, and the consumption of horse meat.

Nowadays, demonstrations of this nature seem too benign for the police to take serious actions.  These protests are seen more as a nuisance than a threat to national security. Think of the large-scale demonstrations in 2010 on the government's new retirement reform law. By comparison, our man and his herd in front of the camera looked no more than a photo opportunity.