Paris Students in Revolt

Auckland Star, Volume XXIV, Issue 208, 2 September 1893, Page 4 (Supplement)

Paris Students in Revolt

A Riot in the ' Qoartiek Latin.1

Description by an Auckland Student.

Mr H. P. Seally, an Auckland studenb now in Paris, sends us the following account of bhe exciting riots among the students there, which were briefly described in receab cablegrams :— Paris, July 7. The Sbudents' Quarter of Paris has been in a state of riot ever since the first of the month, and this is perhaps tho first day of real peace and quieb since bhe oubbroak. Ib began by the condemnation by the authorities of some unseemly conduct ab one of the Art students' Balls given at the Moulin Rouge in the winter, and bhe ulbimabe fine of 100 francs imposed upon bhe leading studenb, M. Guillaume. The sbudents feeling that bhey were being deprived of bheir ' artistic liberties' rose to protest, and held a meeting on Saburday lasb ab the Place do la Sorbonne, whero are generally to bo found studenbs of every conceivable profession. This meeting, which was a noisy one, lod to many -others, and tho Boulevarde Sb. Michel, or Boul' Mich' as ib is generally termed, immediately became the scone of incessant brawls with bhe police and bho destruction of public property to an alarming extent. Every young blood who had the slightest claim to being a student (and a vast number who had nob) immediately seemed to be converted from a peaceable citizen into an unreasoning savage incapable of judgment and indifferenb to human life. The police on bheir sido,parbly in self-defence and parblyin thab malignant spirib which has unfortunabely characterised them for, come yeara, laid about them righb i"d left, and ono of bhoir firsb acts resulted i the

Death of a Young Frenchman,

a studonb of tho name of Nuger, who waa sbruck by a heavy china match-box behind tho oat1. Ho foil without a groan, and died ab bhe Charity Hospital a fow hours after. This brutality was bho acb of a policomati, whoso name is unknown bo the public, and, arousing tho studenbs to fury, a small revolution seemed imminent.

Tho first objects of attack were the, numerous 'kiosquos' wibh which bheßoulevardes are lived on bobh sides. Being round and fitted wibh panes of glass covered wibh adverbisemenba and having a lighted gas jet inside each, they mado an easy mark for the rioters, and there being no loose stones in the street, thoy promptly

Tore up the Heavy Iron Gratings which surround bhe roots of tho trees of which Paris is so justly proud, and smashing the iron into bits on the ground hurled the pieces through the glass, causing crash after crash, and in some caeos putting out tho gas jetß, in others breaking tho pioe3 so as to make a flare-up, which igniting the trees completed the scono of burnulb and chaos. The rioters commenced in earnosb each afternoon about* bhree o'clock and the streets were never quieb till after midnighb. By tho afternoon ot Monday, srd inst., the Municipal Guard, tho Cuira3sieiß, and a detachment of an Infantry regiment were called out and paraded the streets, although the two former being mounted were unable to do much, and made a fair mark for the missiles of the more youthful mombere of tho crowd. Perhaps the most amusing part of tho affair to an onlooker was the rush of tho crowd when tho police charged, and a very slight attempt at a charge promptly resulted in a comple rout, discretion being a leading principle wibh bhe averago French riober. Omnibus Bureaus and Police Offices

Wrecked,

On Tuesday tho shops and cafes in all the principal streets wore closed, and on Wednesday the cry of ' Down with monopolies ' was raised and followed immediately by the wrecking of the omnibus bureaus and the stoppago of omnibuses and tramways, which, being unhorsed, wore overturned and lnid across the thoroughfares, thus forming an effectual barricade. Not content with this, the rioters seb lighb to a groat many of bhem, or broke them up with huge stones, toaving up tho flags of the pavements for tho purpose, and the police seomed almo-sb powerless against tho multitude. Tho office of tho ' Prefecture do Police ' was attacked and reduced almost bo a wreck, and then the authorities hit on bhe plan of cutting orl'the Quarticrfrom tho other sido of the river, by lining tho bridgos with police, who only permitted tho crowd to pass oub, thus effectually reducing the number of rioters in thoQuai'tior. Barricades were erected by the crowd across most of the side streets off the Boulevarde St. Michel, and bheso, combined with tho human barriers of police on the bridges and Boulevardes mado a journey from ono end of the Quartier to the other a difficult and perilous one.

The Rue Jacob, in which is situated bhe Charity Hospital was daily thronged with those waibing tor bho funeral of bhe victim Mueer, but bhey were disappointed, as it took place ab 3 in the morning to avoid an irreverent manifestation on the part of bho riobors, among whom by this time there were very few genuine sbudents, bhey boing disgusted ab bhe wrecking of property, as they had originally only intended to protest against the infringement of their 'artistic liberties' by the fining of their colleague, and had soon withdrawn from the affair and discouraged its continuance. Perhaps the two

Most Unpopular Men in Paris

ab the present time are M, Loze, the head of the Police Department in Paris, and M. Beranger, who was chiefly instrumental in fining M, Guillautne, and it is said that M. Loze will resign as soon as the affair is over. The arrogance and brutality of the police in this and former troubles has been chiefly the cause of the riot, and it certainly is time some moasures were taken to lessen their authority. Many peaceable onlookers were violently attacked with fists and sabres, and so maltreated that the hospitals are filled with tho wounded. Tho Paris papers are unanimous in their condemnation of the abuse of justice, and new editions of many journals seemed to bo coming out every hour, one having reached its tenth edition before mid-night. The losses are chiefly confined to the omnibus company and the owners of the kiosques; tho twenty-five omnibuses burnt or wrecked, and tho bureaux destroyed are valued at about 200,000 francs (or £B,ooo),and the kiosques about 25,000 tranca (or £1,000), the value of the jjlass panes with the advertisements ranging from 3to 40 franc. The jjroato.'t gainers by the riot, next to the journalists,are perhaps the gunmakera, ono of whom says ho sold thirty revolvers in a day—although apparently but little use seems to have beon made thereof.

Tho outbreak ended almost as suddenly as it began, and today (Friday) everything ia as before, nothing remaining bub the shattered kiosques and omnibus bureaux to evidence the tumult of yestarday.